


YJ Project

by fullmetalchibi



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, JYJ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Cheesy Lines, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Heteronormativity, Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romantic Comedy, Slow Burn, Slurs, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 41
Words: 126,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26709160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmetalchibi/pseuds/fullmetalchibi
Summary: Kim Jaejoong and Kim Ahjoong are two siblings who don't really get along.... or don't get along at all. Ahjoong, the older sibling, is a rabid fangirl of U-Know, a popular dance singer. Jaejoong is an ulzzang who works at a comic store and can't stand his sister crying over U-Know all the time. What Jaejoong doesn't know is that his sister is part of a group called YJ Project (or YunJae-Making), a cafe with over 10,000 members dedicated to seeing Jaejoong and U-Know together in 'that' way! Not only that, but Yunho seems familiar to Jaejoong, who is convinced that he's seen him before he got famous.
Relationships: Jung Yunho (DBSK)/Kim Jaejoong, Kim Ah Joong & Kim Jaejoong, Kim Ah Joong/Original Character
Comments: 14
Kudos: 13





	1. YJ Project - Chapter 01.

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [윤재만들기 (Eng: Making YunJae)](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/693115) by 메림 (Merim). 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty boy... Ulzzang Kim Jaejoong.... These kind of things still exists these days, huh. He thought it's only popular several years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, so hello. This is my first time posting a story here. Too bad that it's not mine. This is an old Korean fic written by Merim that I translated to English. The plot is pretty light but I find it a fun read. The fic was written in around 2006 - 2007, so the technologies are not as advanced as now. Meaning they're not using smartphones, but flip phones and slide phones instead. Just clarifying that in case you got confused.  
> I'd like to remind that neither English nor Korean are my first language. There might be some discrepancies and mistakes in grammar and spelling. I already finished translating everything and I only need to re-check before uploading the chapters. There are 40 chapters plus 1 extra chapter. If you're interested to be my beta reader, you can contact me as I'd love to have one to fix the errors and my bad diction lol.

On this side of the wall, there are four U-Knows. Two are next to the door. One is next to the window. Two are on each sides of the closet doors. He's also all over the ceiling. Just how many of him are there? Jaejoong was lying on the bed, using his gaze to count the posters to the point that his eyes almost rolled to the back of his head. He shook his head, thinking _“Does she like him that much?”_ The door with Yunho's face planted on it opened, and someone entered the room.

“Goddammit, I told you not to enter my room didn't I? You're gonna keep being this annoying?”

“Your room has an ACE double-bed. It's wide and nice.”

“Shut up and get up quickly! What are you doing lying on my bed? Get out now!”

“So stingy....”

“It's not just once or twice that you came into my room and being annoying, you know that?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'm going out now. Why are you so mean, really...”

When she thoughtlessly opened the door and saw Jaejoong lying on her bed, she was surprised and bent on kicking him out. She started to push on Jaejoong's back while he was getting off the bed with his mouth wide open.

“Ah, I'm leaving so stop pushing me!”

“Get out quickly, you brat―”

“By the way, where did you find these posters? Amazing really. Isn’t it embarrassing acting like a rabid fangirl with that old age?”

“You wanna die? What does it have to do with my age? These days older fans are the trend. It's not embarrassing at all! I told you to get out―”

When Jaejoong saw steam started coming up from his sister's head, he left the room while giggling. His sister tried to lock the door but the lock button is not working. On the other side of the door, Jaejoong held the turned doorknob. Her face twisted heavily, screaming “Let go!!” Jaejoong lifted his head when the door opened slightly.

“But you know, _Nuna_.”

“Urgh, what now...”

“I'm really sure I've seen him before.”

“You're saying this kind of thing again? I really wished that would happen to me, you rascal. U-Know have debuted for several already. There’s no way you’ve never seen him already.”

“I really think I've seen him somewhere else. Not on the TV.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever you say~”

“I'm being seriou― Aaaaah!!!! Hey!! Kim Ahjoong!!!!”

Jaejoong, who poked his head into the room, got his neck slammed by the door, resulting in his screaming voice to reverberate around the house, putting and end to the siblings fight.

Ahjoong made sure Jaejoong went into his room before dusting her hands and closing the door. She then turned the computer on her desk on. She typed in the password she set so that Jaejoong couldn't mess with her computer, revealing her desktop wallpaper, a picture... of U-Know and... Jaejoong, kissing.... Of course it's an edited picture. Looking at the picture, she giggled happily and went to log into the internet. There are several cafes that she frequently visited bookmarked in her browser, and they all proved the fact that she's a loyal _nuna_ fan.

[U-Know Official Fancafe]

[Jung Yunho, a man from the heaven]

[U-Know Fanclub, KNOW YOU]

and also...

[ _Ulzzang_ Kim Jaejoong 1st Fancafe]

[Pretty Boy Kim Jaejoong]

Signing up for those sites out of courtesy is not funny, but she could see some other cafes of her younger brother who is an _ulzzang_. Lastly, also the highlight... with "Admin" stuck straight next to the cafe’s name...

_“_ _Nuna_ , what are you doing?”

With the sudden burst of Jaejoong's voice, Ahjoong stood up with a faint surprise and covered the monitor. She turned back and saw Jaejoong's eyes glaring suspiciously at her.

“What is it? Why did you cover it? Don't tell me... You watch those kind of things too? Ugh! How perverted! So girls watch porn too, huh....”

“Wh-who?! P-porn?! Are you crazy?! What are you saying?! You wanna die?!”

“Then why are you stuttering? It's okay~ You're already old anyway~”

“I told you that's not the case!! Get out now!!”

Jaejoong quickly escaped when Ahjoong picked up the pillow on her bed and threw it at the door with a loud bang. She rubbed her chest to calm her surprised state, strode to the door and locked it with a click. “If it's not for your face, I would've beaten you 100 times!!” she silently screamed before going back to sit in front of her computer. She then clicked on a popular cafe with more than 10,000 members.

The name of the cafe is [YunJae-Making].

Meanwhile, Jaejoong went into his room while muttering “Women are scary...” He plopped down on his cheap, narrow, and unpleasant bed, and stared at the white and clean ceiling of his room, which is the total opposite of his sister's room's. On his sister's room, there was a poster of U-Know biting his lower lip and making a sexy face on the left side, and on the right was a full-body poster showing off his height.... Jaejoong jumped to his feet while having that thought.

Coming down from the bed hurriedly to the bookshelf, he started looking for something. A moment later, Jaejoong took out his middle school and high school yearbook with a satisfied smile. Then, with his big eyes opening up even wider, he sat at his desk and opened his middle school yearbook first. Definitely a face he’s frequently seen somewhere. He has felt it for a long time but didn’t really pay much attention to it and just let it go. He suddenly became curious and examined each and every faces of the graduates.

He started looking with the thought that the guy might have graduated from the same school with him since they’re of the same age. But, no matter how many times he flipped around the pages of his two graduation albums, he couldn’t find a face similar to U-Know, let alone someone with the name “Jung Yunho”. Jaejoong closed the album annoyedly and pulled on his hair.

_"_ _Where did you see him...? C’mon... remember it, you fool~!!”_

* * *

“ _Hyung,_ what’s today’s schedule?”

Thanks to the fact Yunho hates living with someone else and owns a big apartment by himself, the manager had to drag the van to his apartment at dawn. Yunho was wearing a thin jacket over the comfortable clothes to go to the schedule location. He’d later wear the prepared clothes from the coordi. Yunho was asking his manager about his schedule, but his manager worried about the clothes first.

“Hey, today is cold. You should wear a coat”.

“I’m getting in the car right away, anyway. And I asked you about the schedule.”

“But still.... Well, wait.... Right now we have to go to film the CF until afternoon, a cable TV live performance in the evening, and a radio show. It’s a little bit busier than usual. The CF is the problem.”

“Hhh.... Filming CF is such a hassle.”

“You shouldn’t thoughtlessly say that kind of thing anywhere. You’ll get beaten up.”

“Pfft, yeah I know~”

Walking to the entrance and roughly putting on his sneakers, Yunho left his home. His manager locked the door and Yunho took a step into the life of “U-Know” today.

Just how many seconds this ads will be that he has to film this all day? He didn’t even came in the morning, but at dawn, but there is no sign that this will end in the afternoon. In the meantime, thinking if there is time to eat, a break was given to have a late lunch. Yunho sat in front of a table on the corner of the set, rubbing his eyelids with his hands, perhaps because he was constantly applying force to his eyes. Taking the sandwich and coffee his manager bought, Yunho began to touch the notebook on the table. A few hours ago, he had a few minutes break and he had to attend the interview by a reporter and a cameraman from an entertainment program who came to film the filming set. Because of that, he couldn’t use the internet that he always surf on once a day. That’s why he’s doing it now.

Taking a bite on the sandwich, he went to a portal site that he used often. He clicked the “popular search keywords ranking” link to check what the most searched keywords were. Until the 6th place, they were all useless and boring. Considering to just go to the fancafe, he clicked on the 7th keyword, [Kim Jaejoong], to check for one last time.

Pretty boy... _Ulzzang_ Kim Jaejoong.... These kind of things still exists these days, huh. He thought it was only popular several years ago. Thinking, “How childish,” he snickered and scrolled down and found several pictures. But they’re not the kind of pictures he thought would pop up. They weren't 45-degree angle pictures taken with a computer cam. They almost looked like they were taken from a digital camera by someone else. There are some pictures of him looking straight at the camera and making a V sign, but most of them were pictures of him reading books, looking out of the window, drinking juice, or sleeping.

“What an odd guy,” he mumbled as he looked at the pictures. He looked as pretty as what they said. These days, he get annoyed since all the singers are pretty boys and all, but now even pictures circulating on the internet are all of pretty boys. _“W_ _ell, w_ _hat can you do if the guy is pretty,”_ he thought while clicking on his tongue. He was about to click the back button, but he hesitated.

He scanned the pictures with his gaze while scrolling the mouse and stopped his hand again at one picture. The guy is sitting cross-legged on the couch with one hand supporting his chin and a bookcase on his lap. The picture is taken from a fairly close distance, focusing on his side profile. Long black hair that slightly covers the neck, fair and clean skin that makes you wonder if he’s wearing a make-up (but based on some visible moles, he’s bare-faced), a nose that makes you think he’s a celebrity, plump and reddish lips, the eyelashes that casts a shadow that made him look feminine.... He’s sure he’s seen the guy somewhere.

He can’t think of who it is for too long, thanks to the filming for the remaining parts of the CF that followed right away.

After the boring CF shooting was barely over, Yunho headed for the music cable station again. Not sure if they’re gonna make it in time, the manager drove fast and the coordis started putting Yunho’s makeup. The makeup he did during the CF shoot was removed when he went to the bathroom there, so his face is clean and bare. Yunho's main coordinator was probably waiting in the waiting room with his costume, and the assistant, who is now roughly doing Yunho's make-up, is a young woman whose age is not that much different from him. He didn’t like how her face reddened from when she started putting makeup on him.

“Yunho seems to have better skin than other celebrities, especially men. Their skin got ruined by putting so much makeup on."

“Hm.”

 _“If you know you’re gonna get a half-hearted answer, why are you even talking to me in the first place, you_ ahjumma _."_

By the end of the base makeup, the van, which had been running at the speed of light, arrived at the location of the schedule. Following the manager's gesture urging him to come quickly, Yunho headed to the waiting room. While heading to his waiting room, he met several senior and junior singers, some with long hair and thick makeup like teenage girls. Suddenly, he was reminded of the guy whose pictures he saw on the internet earlier. Compared to those guys who look disgusting with thick makeup, he was prettier. Anyhow.... Where exactly did he see the guy? He started wondering again, but just like last time it didn’t last long. He hurriedly put on his stage costume.

* * *

After a part-time job at a fairly large video and book rental store, Jaejoong, who had a baton touch with a part-timer for the next hour, headed home with some comic books on his side again. He started on the part-time job when he was on his first year of high school, and it has been 4 years since then. It's hard to stay working at one place for this long, but Jaejoong was a regular part-timer who got paid a lot for his extraordinary appearance. There’s no place more comfortable than here. He can read his favorite comic book as much as he wants, and he just has to scan some barcodes to get paid. He could only work on the weekends as a high school student, but since enrolling in university, he worked every evening. On Thursdays like today, he had classes in the morning, so unlike the other days, he worked in the afternoon and go home in the evening.

There were many other rental shops in the neighborhood, but most people only came to the place where Jaejoong worked. Some people even came from afar to see _that_ Kim Jaejoong, who has as many fan cafes and the members as celebrities do. That’s why whenever Jaejoong was working, the store would always be crowded with people. Since all nearby rental book stores raised their prices from 100 won to 200 won, people would find this place and the store owner would have a big fortune.

When he got home, Jaejoong glanced at his older sister who was watching the TV in the living room and went into his room. He placed the two comic books he brought on his desk, took off his scarf and coat, put them in the closet, and then went out and sat next to his sister. He knew it. She was watching a music program again....

Holding the remote control on one hand, she didn’t even ask Jaejoong a simple, “You home?” and was so immersed on the TV. The singer who came out now stood still and sang passionately. His sister didn’t even like the singer....

“ _Nuna._ ”

“What.”

“Let’s watch something else.”

“Get lost.”

“Eh whyyy?? Is U-Know performing again later or what??”

“Yeah.”

_“I shouldn’t have asked that_ _..._ _”_

“He’ll perform last anyway. Why would you watch the whole thing?”

“I have to check the voting result in the middle of the show.”

“He’ll win 1st place anyway, why would you check on that?”

“Oh, you know well, eh, brother?”

Ahjoong turned her eyes from the TV and looked at Jaejoong with an excited smile. He could only let out a huff at her.

“ _Nuna_. Why do you like U-Know?”

“You’re asking that _now_? Because he’s handsome, duh!”

“Ew, I’m more handsome.”

“....”

_“_ _That_ _’_ _s not it, Jaejoong. You totally said the wrong thing,_ _”_ he blamed himself inwardly and waited for the biting remarks his sister was about to throw. But instead of a sudden shout of agitation, she let out a giggle of laughter.

“You think you’re handsome? You’re _pretty_. How did you even think of that, really.”

Jaejoong was speechless at his sister’s sneer-filled words. He couldn’t remember clearly a time when someone would compliment him on being handsome in all 21 years of his life. You’ve lost your meaning of life, Kim Jaejoong. Even when he visits his fancafe, no one would tell him that he looked cool. It would always be “You look pretty.” “You look like a girl.” “Should we real girls just die?” Even worse, some fan would even call him “ _eonni_ ”.

“Oh yeah~ 1000 votes difference from the start~ Y’all are no match for Yunho~”

Looking at Ahjoong who was muttering while looking at the real-time voting status, Jaejoong went into his room, biting his lower lip. Picking up the comic book he borrowed, he laid down on his bed and started reading them. He read the comics with occasional giggles and before he knew it he finished reading both comics. When he look at the clock, he found out that it has been a little over an hour and a half since he started reading. _“_ _I should have borrowed more..._ _”_ Jaejoong rose up from the bed with regret and left the room again.

 _“_ _Just how long is that music program that it_ _’_ _s still going on..._ _”_ With the thought of badmouthing his sister’s precious U-Know, he sat next to Ahjoong. Right as soon as Jaejoong sat down, a singer's stage was over and U-Know’s stage had begun. Turning his head and looking to the side, he could see Ahjoong, who somehow already worn her glasses staring at the TV. She emitted an aura that seemed to say “I’ll hit you several times if you speak a word.” Jaejoong shut his mouth and followed her, moving his gaze to the TV screen.

The dark stage lit up with fireworks from the center, and U-Know appeared following the music intro. _“_ _Of course that guy will flaunt his god-like proportions..._ _”_ Jaejoong apathetically kept his eyes on the screen. U-Know had started dancing powerfully. The singer started singing along to the wonderful choreography, and the glare he shot at the camera made Jaejoong felt like the singer was looking right at him.

 _“_ _He_ _’_ _s dancing so hard and he_ _’_ _s not even out of breath,_ _”_ thought Jaejoong as he continued to watch Yunho singing live without any mistake. In addition to his addictive songs, perfect singing skills, and powerful and cool dances that other singers wished could follow, Jaejoong unknowingly got drawn into U-Know, who performed perfectly along the beats, just like Ahjoong who sat next to him.

The stage ended in a blink of an eye, and Ahjoong is on the verge of falling back. Jaejoong came to his senses and nodded slightly, filling his cheeks with air. He thinks he understood little by little why people, including his sister, like U-Know so much. Since he had never seen U-Know's performance properly before, his mind is still in a haze.

“Oh, Kim Jaejoong! When did you come back?”

Just how focused was Ahjoong on U-Know's stage that he she finally realized Jaejoong’s presence?

“I saw U-Know’s stage with you, though?”

“Ah, really? Didn’t realize that.... So, what do you think? How was it? He’s cool right?!”

“Uh, well... He’s okay.”

“Ehh, is that all?”

“I mean he sings pretty well... He dances well too...”

“Right right?! But really is that all?”

_“_ _Just why is her eyes shining so brightly while asking that question._ _”_

“Well... He’s good-looking. I’ve already known that he’s tall before.”

“Kyaaah~ Yup that’s right!! As long as you realized that it’s okay!!”

_“_ _What_ _'_ _s okay? Why is she so over the top...?_ _”_

“He won 1st. Look at the TV,” Jaejoong told Ahjoong, getting off of the sofa. He could see U-Know kissing the trophy after receiving a bouquet of flowers and the first place trophy, shouting, “This is for KNOW YOUs.” This is his third week winning on the show. After that he’ll promote with a follow-up song and will win for another 3 weeks. Jaejoong shrugged his shoulders and opened the door to his room. At that time, he could hear Ahjoong’s voice again.

“Kim Jaejoong. Do you wanna go and see him?”

Jaejoong turned around, asking what kind of nonsense she’s spurting. She opened her mouth again.

“I’m going to an open broadcasting the day after tomorrow. Wanna tag along?”

“You think I’m out of my mind? Why would I do such an embarrassing thing?”

“Why? There are a lot of male fans coming too. It’s not embarrassing at all. You think U-Know’s performance is cool, right? Let’s go see him just this once. Okay?”

“....You’re nuts. Definitely no. Go by yourself.”

Jaejoong turned around, leaving his sister who was trying to persuade him with a smile on her face. He was about to get into his room, when...

“If you saw him in real life... If you actually take a good look at him, don’t you think you’ll be able to remember?”

“Why do you have to rub the fact that I’m so goddamned curious in my face.... Agh, but I really don’t want to!”

Jaejoong entered his room and slammed the door shut. Seeing that, Ahjoong went somewhere to make a call.

“Ah, _eonni!_ Jaejoong said he won’t go.... Yeah, I think I’ll be able to bring him on Saturday if I taunt him a little bit more. You’re sure we’ll be able to go to the waiting room that day, right?.... Ah, okay~.... Eh, you don’t have to worry. We’ll definitely succeed... Yeah, see you on Saturday~”

*****beep*** **

_“Hehehe... Kim Jaejoong... No matter what anyone says, you’ll be thrown onto Jung Yunho’s arms by our hands~”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korean terms:  
> cafe: a service that allows internet users to create their own internet communities  
> ulzzang (얼짱): a popular South Korean term literally meaning "best face" or "good-looking". Basically commoners who are popular for being good-looking.  
> nuna: a word used by males to address a female older than them who they are close to  
> hyung: used by males to address a male older than them  
> eonni: used by females to address a female older than them  
> ahjumma: a married, or middle-aged woman  
> CF: Commercial Film
> 
> \---
> 
> In a way, this is just a place for me to keep this fic. I'd be glad if you enjoy reading it too, but I hope you won't leave bad comments about the fic as it is not mine. You may criticize my diction and grammar though....


	2. YJ Project - Chapter 02.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ....What a liar.

When all the classes in the morning were over, Jaejoong left the campus with Jungwoo to get lunch. He usually would eat in the cafeteria, but Jungwoo suddenly asked him to eat something else outside.

“We could have just eaten kimchi rice in the cafeteria. Why are you suddenly making a fuss?”

“What? Aren’t you sick of it? Then let’s ask a random kid passing, who the hell would eat there everyday???”

“Seriously....”

He was thinking about what to eat when they left the campus, looking around at restaurants nearby, but there was nothing else to eat. Jaejoong got annoyed at Jungwoo who wants to eat this, wants to eat that, doesn’t know what to eat, and in the end he told Jaejoong to decide on what to eat. But he doesn’t really have anything he wanted to eat in particular. In the end, they decided to go back to the university when they already got out with much difficulty, and ate the kimchi rice that they’re so fed up with at the cafeteria.

“Ah... This is depressing...”

“I’m the one who’s more depressed. I had to use my legs so much because of you. So damned annoying.”

“Why? Isn’t it good that you’ll lose weight?”

“If I lose more weight than this, I have to give up being a man, you ass. Do you like walking so much?”

“Ugh... Why is there nothing that I want to eat?”

“Next time you drag me out, make sure you’ve decided on what to eat.”

Jaejoong scolded Jungwoo who made a face like he’s about to cry, letting out sniffles here and there, with his chin supported on the table. Jaejoong thought, would he really want to comfort himself by saying he liked losing weight when he doesn’t really gain weight anyway? That’s kinda ridiculous. He brought back the kimchi rice that was served with a lightning speed back to their table. He was snickering at Jungwoo who was still as depressed as ever. “Thanks ma fren,” said his friend before he began to dig up his lunch. Even the sullen ones would get back to normal when they got something to eat. Looking at his friend whose face somehow became swollen after eating so deliciously, the corner of Jaejoong’s lips lifted up and he began to mix his food with his chopsticks.

“Hey, do you have time tomorrow?” Jungwoo who was eating with his pair of chopsticks asked his friend while removing the grains of rice around his lips using his thumb.

“Tomorrow? I’m not sure.... Why?”

“I might drown myself in this depressive mood again, but I have no one to play with on a supposed-to-be-real-fun Saturday like tomorrow.”

“Hmm...”

At the question, Jaejoong fell into a bit of worry. What would he have to answer.... He suddenly remembered his sister’s suggestion. _“I_ _ha_ _ve_ _to_ _go_ _see U-Know.... o_ _f course_ _not_ _..._ _. Why would_ _I?!_ _?! Kim Jaejoong, you must be out of your mind._ _”_

“Okay, then. What do you wanna do?”

“This is pitiful, but if we meet up we’d do anything.”

“Well, then do you wanna go watch a movie? "199 Pounds Beauty"? They said it was interesting.”

“Okay... But they won’t give us couple seats right? I’ll rip the damned tickets if they do so.”

“I’d probably rip them up before you do so.”

Jaejoong snickered while thinking of the heroine. People made a fuss about the movie being so fun and all, but he’s not fond of the heroine.

“By the way, Kim Jaejoong. When will you introduce me to your sister, huh? I really wanna stop hanging out with only-friends and change this single status of mine. If I got with your sister, I would even rob a bank for you.”

“My sister? Ah... You like Kim Ahjoong?

“Of course I like her! She’s hella pretty! Wow really, if I have a sister like that I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“You think I’m crazy? Then _you_ live in our house instead of me.”

“There it goes Kim Jaejoong talking high and mighty.”

_“_ _That woman is totally busy being a hardcore fan of a singer who is four years younger than her, and this isn_ _’_ _t something that I_ _’_ _m sure of yet, but she_ _’_ _s a pervert who watches porn and have a_ _really_ _bad temper. She_ _’_ _s the kind of woman who made a big fuss over her_ _cute_ _brother who just wanted to stay in her room for a bit, and moreover she uses violence against her own brother!!!_ _”_ is what he wanted to say but he held back. He didn’t want to get karma over breaking their “siblings trusts”, so he just kept his mouth shut and expressed everything through his crumpled up face. He’s really tempted to tell the whole world how his two-faced sister acts when she’s at home and how it’s 180 degrees different from when she’s outside.

“Kim Jaejoong, why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Me? If I have one I’d date her.”

“Wow, you really want me to kill you, huh? You have tens thousands of people in your fanclub and you say shits like that? Just choose one and date her, you ass.”

“Fanclub? Ah... Right...”

“I really want to kill you sometimes. Seriously. Give me half of your fans. I'm sure there would be no woman like Ahjoong- _nunim_ _,_ though _...._ "

Jaejoong never really thought of wanting to have a girlfriend. That’s why he gave such a plain answer to Jungwoo’s questions which led up to the latter’s irritation. The huge praise about him being pretty which came from his own sister’s mouth came back ringing in his ear and he doesn’t even have the energy to retort back.

Thinking of Ahjoong reminded him of U-Know’s music program tomorrow, which in turn made him lose his appetite. He’s really _really_ curious of the guy’s identity. When exactly did he saw him? It’s funny how he’s thinking like this about a celebrity who he can see just by turning on the TV, but he’s sure he saw the guy as Jung Yunho, not U-Know. That might be the case, but he really couldn’t remember a thing. Is he really suffering from dementia at such a young age?

* * *

With the thought of starting the day with “YunJae-Making”, Ahjoong overslept to her heart’s content, went to wash up right away after waking up, and sat in front of her computer without eating beforehand. There are also a lot of other users who had the same thought as her, going online on such an early hour. After a rough look at the user’s ID, Ahjoong greeted the person and immediately sent them a message.

[ _Eonni!_ What happened? Why aren’t you going to the office?]

After sending the message, she thought over on what pretty edited pics would she upload today. She was about to click on the site’s gallery’s link when a reply message came up.

[I’m on leave. It’s been a while since I last overslept so I feel super refreshed... Oh, come to think of it today is D-1, right? My heart is pounding!!]

[By the way, do you have any specific plan? How are we gonna do this?]

[I’m not sure... Ah, right. Do you have time today?]

[Yeah, why?]

[Let’s meet up today. We need to gather everyone for the meeting. You know we can’t leave you out, right?]

[OK!]

_“_ _If it_ _’_ _s for YunJae, it_ _’_ _s not a waste of money to pay for bus fare or buying tea at the meeting place_ _._ _”_ With the corner of her lips going up happily, Ahjoong closed the chatting window. Now is a real beginning for the full-scale YunJae Project. Ahjoong nodded her head waiting for the time and place for the meeting to be sent to her phone which was lying on the table. She began to focus on what she was doing again. It’s kind of a pity that she could only satisfy her empty heart with those edited pictures, but this too now has come to an end! Once U-Know and Jaejoong met, their eyes were sure to be filled with happiness just by being with each other.

After saving some beautifully edited pictures to her computer, Ahjoong went to the fanficton section. It’s hard for a celebrity x commoner ship to get this big, but their visuals are very strong. Yunho and Jaejoong’s fanfictions are so popular here that you might think that they are a ship that came down from heaven. Ahjoong began to look forward tomorrow by reading the fanfictions from the authors that she read on a regular basis.

* * *

Today is a heartwarming free day. Yunho was sprawled out on the wide sofa in his living room, pressing the remote control several times and watching the TV. In the middle of the busy heat of his album promotion, with such tight schedules that leaves almost no room for rest, unlike other people, he couldn’t meet up with acquaintances or a lover. Maybe it’s because Yunho is too used to being alone, but he doesn’t get along with his fellow celebrities, which is why his phone that has little to no use stayed quiet. Enjoying the rare relaxation he got, Yunho took up a cup from the sofa table and drank a sip of coffee.

He put the cup back on the table and changed the channel. Just in time, the rerun of the music program he recorded yesterday is on. He thought that since he has nothing to watch anyway, so he’ll just do some monitoring. He put the remote control down and focused his gaze on the TV. Yunho appeared as U-Know on the costly stage, completed with the loud cheer from his fans. He stared in an emotionless manner at his own figure on the TV, wondering who the hell that guy on the TV was.

He had endured everything for almost three years with the goal of being the best. Now, he is as good as the best in the country. He even succeeded big time in entering foreign markets, but that made him lost interest in his singing career. He's just living the way it is, doing what he's told to do. The stage that he wasn’t drawn to had came to a finish and he got the 1st place. He could see himself doing a hypocritical speeches and actions. He ended up fumbling to pick up the remote and turned the TV off. He threw the remote control to the back, not caring where it ended up at. Why doesn’t interesting things happen to him? He came to hate his boring life.

Yunho, who suddenly felt disturbed by the serious thought that he had by monitoring his performance, drank a sip of his already lukewarm coffee and got up. It has already become a habit for him to go on the internet by accessing the computer in his study. He sat on the soft chair and turned the computer on. It's meaningless, but turning on a computer has become a habit that he can’t fix in his boring daily life

Today's popular search word is no different from yesterday. That is, except for the word “YunJae” which he doesn’t know the meaning of. Thinking that it was probably nothing interesting, Yunho closed the tab and started logging in to enter his fancafe. But then, his cell phone rang from the living room. Instead of typing his password, he turned his head to the source of the noise and stood up. There’s no way someone would call him. Thinking that it might be his manager, he strode to the living room with his long legs, picking up the cell phone that was lying on the sofa. It was from an unknown number.

“Who is this?”

It’s been a long time since he stopped saying “Hello?” when he picked up a phone call. If it’s from someone he knew, he’d ask “what” and if it’s from an unknown number, he’d ask “who”. The caller seemed a little bit taken aback by the strange opening line.

< “Is this Jung Yunho?” >

Looks like it’s from a fan. He wonders how on hell did she get his number.

“No, it’s no-”

< “Ah, wait, don’t hang up, Yunho- _yah_! I’m Ryuan.” >

“Pardon me?”

< “I’m not a stalker, so don’t hang up.” >

_“Ryuan? Who...? Ah. The woman from a duet group who also got the 1 st place nomination from yesterday’s music program. How did she get my number? Why is she calling me?”_

“Ah, I see. Is there something you need?”

< “Huh? Ah....” >

_“_ _We_ _’_ _re not even close. Why are you talking informally?_ _”_ Yunho, who’s speechless from the woman’s choice of informal words, used honorifics which made the girl even more flustered. Actually he doesn’t even know how old the caller is, so it’s normal to use honorifics. But the woman doesn’t seem to have the same thought.

< “Uh... We’re the same age, so just drop the formal speech.” >

“We don’t even know each other, so why would I speak informally? If you have any business with me, please just say it and hang up the call. I’m quite busy today.”

< “What? You don’t have any schedules today, no?” >

_“How would you know that if you’re not a stalker...”_

“I don’t think that’s any of your business. If you’re calling out of boredom, I will hang up.”

< “Ah, okay. But before I say what I need, can you do something about your way of speaking? It’s too uncomfortable.” >

“That’s your problem.”

< “You’re really flaunting your cynical attitude, just like what the rumors said.” >

“I’m hanging u-”

< “Wait wait wait wait!!” >

_“God please... I really hate having to pick up a call while I’m on the computer.”_

“What now?”

< “Oh... You’re speaking informally now.” >

“If you have things to say, say it _now_.”

< “Um, it’s... Can we meet up today? I have a lot of things to say...” >

“Nope. No way.”

< “.......” >

_“_ _Why would I have to meet you, a woman whose face I couldn_ _’_ _t even remember_ _?_ _”_ There was no answer from the other line after Yunho’s sharp reply. It looks like she was really shocked. Women who had never been dumped by a guy would just thoughtlessly come at people, just like what she did. Without knowing what kind of conversation the woman wanted to have with him, Yunho snickered at the obvious situation, hanging up on the call. _“_ _I_ _’_ _m sorry, but I hate aggressive women._ _”_

* * *

Jaejoong was sleeping peacefully on the bed, until suddenly the door opened and something slammed onto the bed. He opened his eyes, and frowned when Ahjoong came to his line of sight. _“L_ _osing_ _my_ _appetite so early in the morning_ _._ _._ _.”_ He pulled his blanket in annoyance, getting ready to go back to sleep but failed when Ahjoong pulled his blanket.

“Argh! What?!”

“Get up! We have to go to the broadcast station! We have to go early if we want to see him.”

“Are you crazy?? I told you I’m not going!”

“Shut up and get up quickly!”

“I already made a promise for today~ Please just let me go back to sleep!”

“What?”

Jaejoong was really glad that he made a promise to meet Jungwoo today. Ahjoong wouldn’t be able to do anything if he already have another thing to do. He was happy that he made a good excuse. Ahjoong might not have the same thought as she was speechless.

This is not good. She has to bring Jaejoong along with her even if it costs her own life. She can’t let the carefully organized plan they made yesterday at the meeting to vanish like a bubble.

“W-who did you promise?”

“Kang Jungwoo. I’m gonna go back to sleep now. Get out.”

“That kid... The one who likes me?”

“...Did you really just say that with your own mouth?”

“Hm... So that’s Kang Jungwoo.”

Ahjoong was lost in thought for a while, before throwing the blanket back to Jaejoong and went out of the room. She secretly picked up Jaejoong’s phone which was lying on the floor.

Returning to her room with Jaejoong's cell phone, Ahjoong began to look for his contact number. Kang Jungwoo... Kang Jungwoo... Kang.... She thought he would saved his friend’s number by his full name. It turned out that Jaejoong saved his friend’s number as “Jungwoo Bastard”. Anyway, she found his number and with no hesitation, she pressed on the call button. The ringback tone was “Maria”. That song was quite famous these days. She didn’t know who the singer is but she sang really well. While having these thoughts, she suddenly heard a masculine voice.

< “Why the fuck are you calling so early in the morning? I though we promised to meet at lunch.” >

“Uh... Jungwoo- _yah_?

< “.....Who is this?” >

“Ah, I’m Ahjoong. Jaejoong’s older sister.”

“......OH!!! WOW!!!! _NUNIM_!!!! WHAT'S THE MATTER????”

Ahjoong could practically see the younger man bolting up wide awake, standing while rubbing his eyes, and the trace of annoyance from his voice disappeared like a fog. But that’s not what the current problem is. Her priority is to cancel these two’s appointment.

“You’re gonna meet up with Jaejoong today?”

< “Ah. Yes. Yes!” >

“What will you two be doing?”

< “Yep! We’re gonna watch a movie together, _Nunim_!” ?

“Ah... Really? You know...I actually wanted to bring Jaejoong somewhere today. Can you let Jaejoong go with me instead? I’ll accompany you to watch the movie later around dinner.”

< “....Eh.....? R-really?” >

“Yeah.”

< “Of course! Of course it’s alright! You can take Kim Jaejoong with you! I actually don’t like spending time with him all that much! I didn’t have that much choice since Kim Jaejoong whined asking me to go out with him. That’s why I made an appointment with him. Please do as you like!!!” >

“Ah... Is that so? Then, I’ll give the phone to Jaejoong. Don’t tell him I’m the one who asked you this, okay?”

“Understood!!”

_“_ _What a good boy_.” With a satisfied smile, Ahjoong went back to Jaejoong’s room. When she got there, she could see Jaejoong whose whole body was covered by the blanket. She once again pulled on the blanket. Jaejoong turned his head to her with a “Damn you!” while she handed him his phone.

“A call came in. Take it.”

“So early in the morning? How annoying.”

Without opening his eyes properly, Jaejoong took the phone and curtly answered the phone.

“Hello....... What? What are you talking about....... Really? Hhhh... Well what can you do..... Yeah, yeah, I get it dammit... I’m hanging up!”

“What did he say?”

“His cousin got married today. This guy really have to say this so early in the morning. How annoying... Oh god... _Nuna_ , I’m not gonna go with you. Don’t even think about dragging me along!”

“Eh~ Jaejoong- _ah_ ~”

“Ough shit! So disgusting!!! Don’t do this.... Please....”

In the end, Jaejoong got off the bed fast with all kinds of curse words and expressions after hearing Ahjoong threatening to bother him with the disgusting _aegyo_ for an hour. He let out a defeated sign, thinking _“_ _Do I really have to keep living like this?_ _”_

There is nothing he could do at home anyway. He’s not sure to believe it or not, but she said a lot of men are coming there too. And most of all, he was curious about what he was curious about, so Jaejoong started to sulk and wash up. He checked on his face after washing it cleanly and drying it. _“_ _What on earth am I so pretty for? I_ _’_ _m even 10 million times prettier than Kim Ahjoong._ _”_ After washing his body and his hair, Jaejoong goes back to his room just to find Ahjoong giving him his favorite clothes.

“Wear this nicely~ I’ll be waiting~”

Some people might see her as an angel but to Jaejoong, the smile she’s giving right now as she left the room could even make him puke.

* * *

....What a liar.

Jaejoong could see no one but women. Even if he cleaned his eyes inside out, he could see no men. Embarrassing things are indeed embarrassing, but that’s not even the main problem. There are so many people pushing around him to the brink of him being crushed. Jaejoong felt like crying. They were standing in front of the building, where the singers would get off the vans before going inside. Jaejoong stood in between four older women including Ahjoong, who somehow made a wall to protect him. He bit on his lower lip, trying hard to contain his tears.

“Hey fucker!! Lower your fucking head!!”

_“Scary women who had no hesitation to cuss...”_

“Hey!! Lower your head!! I can’t see anything!! I hate it when tall motherfuckers came to places like this.”

_“......I wonder who she was talking about.”_

“Hey you crazy bitch!!! Can’t you hear me?! The one with black coat!! Did you plug your heels on your ears, you fucker?!”

_“_ _...Black coat....? Don_ _’_ _t tell me.... it_ _’_ _s me...?_ _”_ Feeling tense, Jaejoong slowly turned his head to the back. Right behind him, he could see several women pointing their fingers in his direction, glaring at him. _“_ _It_ _’_ _s really me....?_ _”_ Jaejoong raised a finger and pointed to himself, and the women were ready to scream their lungs out again.

“Yeah!! You!! .......Oh......”

They looked like they were about to bully the hell out of him, but when they saw his face, they stopped screaming as though their mouths got frozen, blinking their eyes. After a second or two, they started squirming with excitement. _“_ _What the hell..._ _”_ While wallowing in sorrow and embarrassment after being called a crazy bitch, suddenly someone pulled on his hand. When he came to his sense, he recognize the woman as the scary-looking one among his sister’s group.

“Why? What is it?”

“You have to come in.”

“Where to?”

“Just follow me.”

After struggling trying to make way through the crowd, Jaejoong headed for somewhere with his sister’s friends.

“W-wait! Isn’t this the building’s entrance? Is it okay to go in?” he asked the woman. Then, someone who appeared to be an employee gave some name-tag like necklace to the all of them. Puzzled, he looked back at Ahjoong who only shrugged and smiled mischievously. _“_ _Is this what they refer to when saying things about going to the backstage through connections..._ _”_ Jaejoong breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this was better than dying among those women outside.

 _“_ _Will U-Know come out if I go this way...?_ _”_ Turning his head left and right, he examined the interior of the building, but not for long since the woman dragged him to walk faster, so he can’t exactly sight-see everything. _“_ _Can_ _’_ _t really believe I_ _’_ _m really getting closer to the core of the building..._ _”_ They got to the crowded part of the building. He could see a lot of singers whom he usually could only see on TV. He let out a “Wow...”, his wide eyes circling even wider, and then he felt his arm getting tugged harder once again. He turned his head to look at her. She put her index finger in front of her lips, making a gesture telling him to be quiet. At that, Jaejoong shut his open mouth and chose to admire everything by his eyes only.

“Open up, open up. A little bit more.”

“Sshht.... Oh... Done. No one is inside. U-Know is the only one.”

“Countdown.”

“One... Two... Three!!!”

_“_ _What are they doing-?_ _”_ Right at the count of three, they pushed Jaejoong inside the room. He let out a confused “Huh?!”, falling to the ground after being forced inside. He turned his head back just to find out that they slammed the door on him. He slowly turned his head towards the chair, where he could see someone sitting on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- Kim Ah Joong was the heroine in the movie "200 Pounds Beauty".  
> \- It's hard to show it in english but Ryuan is speaking informally and Yunho is speaking formally.  
> \- "Maria" was sung by Kim Ah Joong as the OST for "200 Pounds Beauty".  
> \- "Nunim" is like "nuna" but more polite.


	3. YJ Project - Chapter 03.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "U-Know. U-Know. U-Know. U-Know. U-Know. U-Know. U-Ow. U- Yu-Gi-Oh...? What the hell."

Jaejoong couldn’t think of anything at that time. _“_ _What will this come to be..._ _”_ It’ll probably take long to clean the situation up. On the other side of the room, sat a brilliantly shining U-Know who's done with stage costumes, makeup, and hairstyle, watching Jaejoong’s every move. Jaejoong really can’t do anything but blink his eyes. U-Know who was looking at Jaejoong slowly rose one of his eyebrows and frowned.

“Ahaha... I’m sorry. I think I came into the wrong room...”

At least the emergency situation is over for now. He just has to get out of this room as soon as possible. After giving a short nod, he quickly held onto the doorknob and tried to turn the knob and push the door, but the door won’t budge at all. He finally got to experience what it fills like to see all white in his vision. He didn’t know what kind of prank they’re trying to put on him, but he was sure that his sister’s gang is holding the door from the other side so he couldn’t come out.

“ _N-nuna_ _s_... Open the door... Please...”

He could see from the mirror, U-Know raising his body from the chair that has no backrest, and putting his hand on one side of his waist. Looking at Yunho who was blowing in his bangs and looking angry, his body facing on his direction, Jaejoong pushed the door frantically, feeling scared to death. He _really_ felt like crying now.

“ _Nunas_... Please... I think I’m gonna get scolded. Open the door, _please?_ ”

Jaejoong pushed on the doorknob like crazy with the intention of breaking the thing, when Yunho finally decided to begin to approach Jaejoong. Whether it’s his heart, or his liver, he felt like his internal organs are shriveling. Yunho’s proportions and his back looks much more fantastic in real life than what he has seen on TV. If he got punched by that fist, he’d probably fly all over to Hwangcheon-gil. He already imagined Yunho angrily grabbing him by the collar, asking “What are you?” Jaejoong’s face got even paler and he could feel himself getting tired.

“U-Know- _nim_ , I’m sorry. I didn’t come in because I wanted to... _Nuna_... Open up....”

As the distance between Yunho and himself gradually narrows, Jaejoong felt his breath getting shorter. This extreme fear... He even thought of stupid things like what if he got arrested for trespassing into a waiting room. He’s really desperate to cry out to the girls outside to open the door. Yunho's two feet, which he hoped would not come, were right in front of him. The fact that he didn’t say anything made it even scarier. At that time Jaejoong suddenly thought of something and moved his body to the side. U-Know is strong, so he probably would be able to push the door open, and U-Know would caught the girls on the outside, and he would be proven not guilty!

He held on to his throbbing chest, the corners of his lips raising with the thought of scolding the naughty girls. Yunho turned to face Jaejoong before touching the doorknob. Jaejoong, who was caught having wicked smile on his face, quickly closed his mouth and made a gesture to open the door. U-Know snorted and opened the door with a smooth sound. _“_ _W-wait... Why is it a_ _shwit_ _and not a_ _clang!_ _?_ _”_

When Yunho opened the door, there was nothing but silence in the hallway outside the door. Jaejoong felt his heart sink when Yunho looked at him with a genuinely angry expression on his face, biting his lower lip.

 _“_ _Mom... Dad..._ Nuna. _.. No- not that betrayer Kim Ahjoong. My beloved parent_ _’_ _s_ _adorable_ _son Jaejoongie will die on his flowery 21 years old._ _”_ Jaejoong closed his eyes with a dying will on his head, when suddenly he heard a chuckle. _“_ _Eh?_ _”_ He peeked over with one of his eyes only to see Yunho looking down at him with a face of bewilderment.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes...?”

“You think this is funny, huh?”

“Ah... No... That’s not it... My sister is playing a-”

“I saw you smiling earlier, you know. Don’t even think of lying.”

“B-but that’s.... Uh... Yes. I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

That gaze is not a charismatic gaze, but a gaze meant to kill someone. Jaejoong tried to comfort himself with the laughter he heard earlier, but those scary eyes terrified the hell out of him that he had to admit his mistake and ask for forgiveness. Just where the hell did those girls ran away to? Seriously... Now there’s only one thing left to do.

“Get out.”

“P-pardon?”

“I said get out. Don’t you know that you’re not supposed to just come into someone else’s waiting room? I’ll let this one pass as a prank, but from now on don’t do these kind of things anymore. Looks like you've come all the way here with some kind of connections.”

“Ah, yes, yes! I understood. Please excuse me. Good bye!”

_“_ _Wow, he let me off._ _”_ With a sigh of relief, Jaejoong bowed his head several times in gratefulness. Then, he walks out of the waiting room with a quick pace, but he heard Yunho’s voice again.

“Wait a second.”

_“_ _What now_ _...?”_ Holding his tears, he carefully turned around. Yunho, who was leaning against the open door, and began to inspect Jaejoong’s face.

“You.…”

“Wh-what is it.…?”

“Are you.....”

“Yes?”

“.…….Nothing. Just go away.”

“Yes. Good bye again.”

_“_ _Why would he call someone who he just told to scram. He didn_ _’_ _t even have anything to say._ _”_ Tapping on his loud heart with his hand, Jaejoong quickly moved away from Yunho’s line of sight and began to look for his sister’s party. He got so frightened in front of Yunho that he couldn’t even think about it, but he began to loath those people. Just what were those girls trying to do to him? With the intention of cursing at them all the way until they got home, Jaejoong began to search for them, but then he felt someone tapping on his shoulder from behind.

“Jaejoong- _ah_!! I missed you...!!”

“So how was it? What did U-Know say?”

“What did you do there? Did you greet him?”

“....”

The angry speech that he had prepared before was forgotten when they suddenly bombarded him those thoughtless questions. Jaejoong turned around, away from the women who grabbed his arms, not saying anything. They went “Why? Why?” at him from his behind.

“I’m going home. Just you wait later, Kim Ahjoong.”

“Why why why why~~ What happened? Did he tell you off? Really?

“Forget it! I’m going home for real!”

“Hmm... Really?”

“Yeah! Really!”

Because of Ahjoong, who suddenly stopped whining, crossed her arms, put a smile on her face, and looked up at him, Jaejoong also stopped his steps without realizing it. _“_ _I always got so nervous and go crazy when she does this thing._ _”_ Ahjoong opened her mouth with a smile that gave Jaejoong a hundred percent of anxiety.

“You’re going home alone? Through that crowd? You? Alone? Do you know the way home? There’s going to be a disaster if you go out alone. At best, you’ll get your clothes torn. At worst, you’ll get your whole body crushed.”

_“……Dear God, why do you give me this hardship?”_

In the end, Jaejoong also stepped his foot into the performance studio. As if that’s not enough, it’s a standing area. He'd be really happy if he just sat in the faraway seat and slept. Ahjoong and her friends stood at the ideal spot on the front-most part, just right in front of the stage. The fact that he has to stand like this for an hour gives Jaejoong a dark aura, but he comforts himself by saying that it’s better than having to go out alone and be crushed in the midst of those crazily strong women.

For an hour, he stood with his head down with the no-one-could-see-him pose, feeling bored. He had to lift his head up when he felt someone poking him at his side.

“Focus on the stage.”

“Ah, why!”

“Quick!”

He looked up, focusing his gaze at the stage, watching U-Know’s cool performance that he saw on the TV the other day began. Those several nightmare-like minutes he experienced before came to mind, but just like the other day, Jaejoong couldn’t take his eyes off of the vivid performance that the one on the TV couldn’t even be compared to. That guy has some kind of hypnotic powder on his body that he let out, making Jaejoong unable to blink, keeping his eyes on the stage. He completely forgot about the incident earlier and focused on the stage. U-Know sang passionately, turning his eyes to Jaejoong’s direction.

“Kyaaaaaaa!!!!!!”

“U-Know looked over here!!”

“I think he was looking at me!! Oh my god!!!”

“Kyaaaaah he smiled!! He smiled!!!!! He’s smiling at me!!!”

“You’re so funny, huh. He was looking at me!!”

The crowd behind Jaejoong went wild. But he felt like he just received a blow to the head by a hammer, as he heard Ahjoong’s words.

“Silly.... He was definitely looking at our Jaejoongie, you bitches.”

_“Nah, there’s no way..."_

* * *

After experiencing the rough work, Jaejoong’s one-day broadcast workshop was over, and he, along with his sister’s company, went to their own homes. Entering the house, Jaejoong sat in a chair absentmindedly, turning his head slowly to the door when the said door opened, revealing his sister’s figure.

“Pretty Jaejoong! Aren’t you gonna go to work? I have an appointment so I’m going out first~”

Work? Ah, right. He has to go to his part-time work. Jaejoong rose up with a barely-gathered spirit from zoning off. By the way, what was so good that made that woman beamed happily? Anyway, he was still distracted and irritated. On the way home, Ahjoong kept on smiling happily, making him feel displeased. He pouted his lips and wore the coat that he just took off before. Taking some broken comic books from his desk, he shook his head a couple of times and left the room. Really. He doesn’t feel motivated at all.

Without knowing whether he was walking on foot or by hand along the familiar road that he took for about 4 years, Jaejoong entered the video and book rental shop. As usual, some people are already waiting for his arrival. Sighing, he took off his coat and put it below the counter. He’ll put back the comics later. For now, he’ll let himself work with the familiar barcode scanner. He smiled at the people who brought comic books or video tapes for him to scan, meeting their eyes, asking for their names and phone numbers, and scanned the barcodes.

From times to times, there would be people who came to return the books or tapes. Most of the returned comic books were piled up on one side, and Jaejoong would see some of the covers looking like a cover of a romance comic. _“_ _There would be a picture of the male lead_ _’_ _s upper body.... That_ _helluva_ _wide shoulders... Just like U-Know... Hm? Wait what?? Kim Jaejoong you_ _’_ _re really out of your mind. Why would you suddenly think of U-Know?!_ _”_ He hit himself on the head and erased U-Know’s presence from his mind. He then buried himself in his work. A high school boy handed out some books to Jaejoong to be borrowed. _“This kid’s_ _plump face is quite big. U-Know_ _’_ _s face was like the size of a fist, exactly half of this kid_ _’_ _s face... Eh....? Ah.... Why am I like this, seriously??!_ _”_

Instead of scanning the barcode, he slammed his forehead on the counter with a tearful look, flustering the high school boy who asked him, “W-what’s wrong with you?”

“No. Nothing. Please don’t mind me…” he spoke in a weak voice. The boy must have been really surprised as he couldn't step away even after accepting the books he had borrowed. Frustrated, Jaejoong raised his head and smiled a little, and finally the boy left the store.

_“_ _I_ _’_ _m dying, really... Letting out that scary, terrifying aura, cynical and handsome face... Why did the word_ _“_ _handsome_ _”_ _has to pop up there?! I don_ _’_ _t know why U-Know kept appearing in my mind. No, that's not the problem, and I definitely saw him a few years ago, but I don't know why he doesn_ _’_ _t familiar at all. Is it because that was U-Know instead of Jung Yunho?_ _”_ In any case, the memories that they've met in the past have been completely hidden, and it seems like it has no mind of coming out of his head.

In an fortunate little time of leisure, Jaejoong couldn't even dare to read some comic books and kept his head down, trying to clear his confused mind. But all he could think of was U-Know. U-Know. U-Know. U-Know. U-Know. U-Know. U-Ow. U- Yu-Gi-Oh...? What the hell. He felt like he’s getting dumber.

He slammed his forehead on the counter again, but then a short vibration followed by a short notification tone came from his phone which was placed next to the computer. He took his phone and sled the screen up, to find a message from Jungwoo.

[Kim Jaejoong my friend I fucking love you!!!!!!!]

_“What the hell is wrong with this brat. Did he eat something weird?”_

* * *

It has been three consecutive weeks that he won the 1st place in two music programs at public broadcast stations, and also three consecutive weeks for a music broadcast station. All he had to do now is release a follow-up song. Some might say that it’s unfortunate, but Yunho really doesn’t have feelings towards his work anymore.

They were planning to throw a celebration party among his fellow agency mates, but he refused, saying it’s a hassle, and went back home alone. Why do songs and dramas associate going back to an empty house with being lonely and melancholic? Yunho doesn’t feel any of those things at all. He just thought that it’s his house, that’s why no one else is there. Yunho turned the light of his living room on after roughly taking his shoes off. He doesn’t feel lonely, not melancholic. It was a familiar feeling.

Placing his coat on the sofa, Yunho stood in the middle of the living room. Even so, today wasn’t like his usual ordinary boring day. Somehow a chipmunk-like guy got on his nerves today. Yunho was reminded on the incident in his waiting room. He remembered that the guy was trying to hide his face, but he definitely was the what-can-you-do-if-he-was-pretty guy that he saw on the internet. He surely was more pretty rather than masculine, but there is no such thing as falling in love with a good-natured person if you’ve been in the rotten entertainment industry for a long time. He was a pretty face, alright, but he was an obvious man.

Actually, he already knew that they guy wasn’t playing a prank on him. Before he got thrown into the room, when the door slightly opened, he could hear several whispering voices from the outside. He already knew that those women, who appeared to be his sisters, were playing a prank on the guy. Yunho chose to keep observing because it was so funny that the guy was so intimidated and stammered over his words.

He thought that was the end, but when he was performing on stage and let his eyes gaze wonder around the studio, he saw that man again. The thought that the guy was his fan made Yunho chuckle. He’s not sure but the girls surrounding that guy was making a fuss over something. The fact that he made several eye contacts with the guy got stuck in his head.

....!!

_“_ _I've definitely seen that guy before,_ _”_ he suddenly thought. He bit his lower lip, crunched his nose, but no matter how hard he tried, the memory of the guy won’t come up to his mind.

Yunho strode to his study. At times like this why internet is useful. He sat in front of his computer and turned it on. He quickly typed the guy’s name in the search box. He _tried_ typing it actually, but somehow he couldn’t remember. What was the guy’s name again... He gritted his teeth and curled his lips in frustration. He took a look at the popular search word list, and looked at the name that was on top of the list.

Kim Jaejoong.

“Right, it was Kim Jaejoong,” he said happily while clicking the link.

[Jaejoong _oppa_ came to the open broadcast today! I took a pic!]

[Is it real that Kim Jaejoong came for U-Know today?]

[Oh my... YunJae ♡]

_“_ _What the hell is wrong with the comments... Why is my name on it?_ _”_ Right, but that’s not the problem here. He had something else he wanted to do. He moved the mouse, searching where the link to the guy’s profile is. Finally he found it and clicked on it right away.

Kim Jaejoong.

21 years old.

180 cm.

60 kg.

_“_ _He_ _’_ _s the same age as me.... But_ _60kg and_ _180cm? Is his body all bones or something?_ _”_ He read over the basic profile. Yunho stopped his eyes as soon as he felt something brushing over in his mind and he felt something twinkling through his head.

The way he was holding his chin while reading a book... Somehow this looks familiar...

“Who are you, really.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- nim: the highest form of honorifics, used for guests, customers, clients, unfamiliar individuals, or someone from a higher rank.


	4. YJ Project - Chapter 04.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He really bought the CD.

“Yoohooo~~ My Jaejoong- _aaaaaaah_ ~~!!”

_“_ _What kind of disgusting monster is that?_ _”_ As soon as Jaejoong appeared, he was surprised by Jungwoo who was running towards him with his arms open as if to hug him, constantly calling his name. Jaejoong freaked out and pushes him away, so the guy opted to show his excitement by words.

“Did something good happen? Why are you making a chaos?”

“Something good? Of course!! Something _real_ good, in fact. MUHAHAHA-”

“Argh, stop laughing so loudly. You look dumb.”

“It’s okay even if I look dumb. Hahaha~ How did I get to watch a movie together with _Nunim_? It’s all thanks to you! I love you Jaejoong- _ah_!”

“... _Nunim_? A movie?”

“Oh? Ah.... Ah, no, no that was nothing. Heheheh...”

_“_ _....He_ _’_ _s a madman for sure now, alright. What the heck happened?_ _”_ Jaejoong who watched Jungwoo kept going on like an idiot walked his way to go inside the building. He was dumbfounded at Jungwoo who called him all the way here because he had something to buy, but they guy looked like he’s not in his right mind. As they passed the line of the restaurants, Jungwoo dragged Jaejoong by his arms and rambled again.

“Did you eat lunch? You’re hungry, right? Want me to treat you?”

“I already ate. Did you get shot or something? Why are you like this?”

“Eh~ I just wanted to buy my Jaejoongie some food~”

“Eurgh, get lost!!”

He really could’t get used to this. How did Jungwoo who usually only know to either curse or grumble change into this cheesy and out-of-his-mind guy?Jaejoong coughed, trying to clear the goosebumps he got on his body. He then walked as fast as he could to get to the record store. He wasn't particularly busy. He just thought that he should quickly get rid of Jungwoo and go home to get some rest. Standing right in front of the entrance to a large record store, Jaejoong hit the back of Jungwoo's head to stop his endless rambling and took another step. At the time, someone stopped their movement.

“Excuse me.... Hello!”

“....Yes...?”

“I’m a manager from Merim Entertainment. Your appearance and style is very outstanding. I was wondering if you already belong to any agency?”

_“....Again?”_ Jaejoong put on a blank face, but Jungwoo who stood beside him, had his silly smile replaced by an I’m-tired-of-this face. There are two bad things that could happen if you go around with Jaejoong. The first one is that you’ll look relatively bad in appearance, such as your skin tone and eye size, and the other one is this situation right here. Whatever entertainment, management, agency, or whatever, if they saw Jaejoong, they would immediately try to grasp a hold of him and that was like super annoying.

“I’m sorry, but I’m already in an agency. I’m gonna make my debut next month with the stage name K Hero. Seems like you’ve never heard of it.”

“Ah... No wonder you look like you do belong to one. Then, please excuse me.”

As it wasn’t an answer that he wanted, that something-entertainment manager guy turned his back after excusing himself. Shrugging his shoulders, Jaejoong turned his feet as if nothing had happened and went inside the record store. Jungwoo let a bizarre sound of “Hieekk!!” and went to catch up to Jaejoong.

“What the hell, you traitor! You joined an agency?? And you’re about to debut??? Wow, I’m sooo disappointed. How could you not tell-”

“The heck? That was obviously a lie, you dumbass.”

“....Ah... O-oh I see...”

“You’ve known me for years already and didn’t even get that? If I didn’t say it like that, I’ll keep on getting chased. That’s too bothersome.”

“Um, you’re right. You scared me, you punk!”

Jungwoo tried to calm his surprised heart and went back to his annoying-bug mode. Looking at his friend’s weird antics, Jaejoong clicked his tongue and went further inside where all the CDs were lined up.

“What are you gonna buy? Find it quick.”

“Huh? Oh, right... You just go look around. I’ll find it by myself.”

“Kay.”

Looking at Jungwoo's back rushing to the corner where jazz music is located, Jaejoong roughly looked around the CDs lined up next to him. While waiting for Jungwoo, he looked at the music player which was provided to hear the preview of some new songs, and checked to see if there are any new albums worth buying. He arrived at the place where the sales ranking were displayed.

He already knew it. Of course U-Know’s 3rd full album would be 1st on the chart. It has been a month since the album came out, but at the way he still managed to defend his position on the top of chart, Jaejoong got tongue-tied. What an amazing person. Remembering the nightmare-like incidence a few days ago, he shook his head a couple of times and picked up U-Know’s album. His jacket photos must be out of this world too. How is he a real person?

Looking at the picture on the front case of the CD, Jaejoong let out an admiring sigh. He turned to look at the back to check on the tracklist. The first track is the title track that he fell harder for every time he heard it, even though it was only a few times. Jaejoong bit his lower lip while turning the CD around, hesitating whether to buy it or not several times. He thought that all of the songs must be good. When he thought whether or not he should borrow Ahjoong’s CD, he could hear her saying “Did you become a rabid fanboy because you got infected by me?” He shook the imagination off, shaking his hand in front of his face. _“_ _You got big money from the part-time job. Buying one CD is nothing compared to that._ _”_ Jaejoong brought U-Know’s album to the direction of the cashier counter. While giving the CD to the store employee, he could see Jungwoo standing next to him, poking at his arm.

“Huh, what? You’re buying this? ....It’s U-Know’s album, huh. I downloaded all of his songs to my MP3, kyahaha...”

While Jungwoo was bragging about downloading U-Know’s songs, he stopped laughing when he felt the cold stare of the staff who was handing over U-Know’s album to Jaejoong. “You idiot,” Jaejoong mouthed at him after finished paying. Jungwoo also paid the album that he was gonna buy and followed Jaejoong who walked out of the store.

_“If it goes on like this, I might disgustingly end up being U-Know’s male fan.”_

* * *

After a long day of hectic schedules, Yunho entered his house in the evening and plopped on his bed without changing his clothes properly. Filming so many CFs, staying up all night since yesterday, having to perform all day, his energy is all drenched.

After many hours of sleep, Yunho who was a light sleeper had to wake up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Except for the means of communication with his manager, it's a useless cell phone, so, and especially right now, he really felt like disposing it. Yunho, still frowning with his eyes closed, picked up the cell phone that was thrown over on the other side of the bed and flipped the phone open without checking the screen.

“Who’s this?”

< “...Huh, even the way you answered the phone doesn’t change.” >

“.....”

< “Hey, did you forget what my voice sounds like or something?” >

“...Kim Youngwoon?”

< “Yeah, you brat. You’re still alive, right? You’re all over the TV every time I turned the thing on.” >

His sleepiness faded right away. He got up, blinking his eyes. It has been a really long time since he heard a voice that he welcomed coming from his phone. Youngwoon was a close friend he got from high school. After debuting as U-Know, he couldn’t attend school properly. Even at the graduation ceremony, he just went to receive his certificate and went back to his celebrity life, so naturally he lost contact with his friend. There were several reasons why he didn’t try to get in contact with Youngwoon, but receiving a surprise call like this, he couldn’t help but feel happy.

< “Are you in the middle of a schedule right now?” >

“No. Why?”

< “I just wanted to meet up with you. Wouldn’t it be sad to get your phone number but didn’t take the chance to have a drink with you?” >

“Okay... Where should we go?”

Yunho went to his car and drove to a desolated bar. The place had a relaxing atmosphere but it was kinda dark, so there wasn’t a lot of people. Going down the stairs, he could see Youngwoon waving his hand at him from the corner of the bar. Feeling the corner of his lips raising, Yunho walked over to take a seat in front of his friend.

“Ah.... How many years has it been? I feel like crying, really.”

“Heh, you’re still as dramatic as usual.”

“You ass... You look better in person than on TV. When did you become so fabulous?”

“Heh... Yeah sure....”

How long has it been since he had a real smile plastered on his face? After so many pretentious laughs and fake smile he showed on TV, the existence of a friend from his past finally brings a real laugh to him. Looking at the face that he hadn’t seen for so long, Yunho was reminded about his forgotten high school life. Back then, he had a lot of things he wanted to do, and he laughed a lot more than anything. The smile on his lips suddenly felt bitter.

“These days, when I said that I was friends with U-Know to my college friends, no one believes me. They were like, “If you're U-Know's friend, then I'm U-Know.” Pffft-”

“Now that I think about it, we never took pictures together. That’s why no one would believe you.”

“Ah that’s it! That’s why I showed them our school’s yearbook. I remember that you couldn’t take the graduation picture that day, so you took it separately. And that’s why your pic was edited in and no one believes me. It was so unfair, seriously.”

Yunho laughed at Youngwoon’s slowly raising voice, expressing his frustration over the injustice. He couldn’t believe that his friend really brought their graduation album to prove that. At Youngwoon’s statement of promising to contact each other no matter how busy they are, Yunho nodded his head. Sometimes, meeting up to talk about the past could help him escape from his dull daily life. Most of all, Yunho and Youngwoon were close friends, so Yunho felt really bad for cutting off contact like that.

“How’s your uni life?”

“So and so... You know how my grades were like in high school. I don’t study with full-blown passion. Ah, and I took a leave of absence before this winter vacation.”

“Why?”

“Heheh... You probably didn’t know because you’re not a commoner, but we’re at the age where you should go to military, you punk. I’m gonna enlist early.”

“Ah.....”

“I’ll enlist the week after next. Come to think of it, you’ll probably won’t be able to contact me thanks to that.”

He guesses this is where he should say “That’s real dry.” An old friend that he just got to meet again is going to the military. He would’ve been doing the same thing if he didn’t become a singer. He chewed on his lips at the thought.

“But then again, I’ll contact you if I’m on vacation. I’m not gonna turn my phone off, so just send a message if you’re changing your phone number. Okay?”

“Okay!”

The beer and snacks that they ordered now is splayed out over the table. Youngwoon raises a glass containing beer and made a toast with Yunho. After a lot of drinking and talking, both of them were getting drunk. The subject of their conversation changed to their high school days.

“Oh, right. Do you remember that time? When you borrowed a lot of comic books like crazy even though you never read them before?”

“Huh?”

“You went to rent a video and saw the part-timer, so you went there everyday like crazy. The video rent fee is pricey so you chose to borrow a comic a day instead.”

“I’m not sure.....”

“You don’t remember? At that time I jokingly told you to throw me aside and go play with that part-timer instead, since both of us has large bodies and it was annoying to sit on a double seat in the bus. That guy was handsome and you really wanted to get close to him as a friend.”

“Ah~ Ahh- I think I remember. It was that huge rental shop near the school, right?”

“Yep! But in the end you didn’t even get a chance to talk, let alone hang out with him. You were uselessly timid. Right. Your blood type is A, right? Pffft- that’s so unfitting hahahah!”

Yunho vaguely remembered. Youngwoon and Yunho were really tall and had the widest backs back at school. That’s why, when they hung out together there were no reasons for people to pick a fight with them, but there were also many inconveniences. Especially when they went on a school trip and had to sit on the bus. Their long legs and wide shoulders caused them some discomfort and they had to suffer over the inconvenience.

He remembered that the rental shop part-timer had a slim figure and an androgynous appearance. It’s natural to be interested in someone who is very different from yourself. Yunho visited the rental shop every day with the intention to befriend him. But alas, he borrowed comic books for days without speaking to the guy. It wasn’t long after he saw that guy that his debut date was decided, and so he was unable to go to school due to practice.

“But I think I saw that guy on the internet. At first I was like “Wait who’s this?”, but then I remembered. After you debuted, I actually went to borrow books at that store, you know.”

“....Internet?”

“This sounds childish, but he was an _ulzzang_ or something―”

“WHAT??!!”

“T-the heck? That surprised me. Are you crazy? Why are you shouting all of a sudden?”

Right when the word “internet” came out of Youngwoon’s mouth, someone’s face entered Yunho’s mind. When _that_ word was mentioned, he let out a sound of surprise, because of _his_ face that filled his mind with no hesitation. That’s right. He remembered everything now. The man that he met at his waiting room several days ago. No, the guy that he saw on the internet before that. The image of him reading a book with a hand supporting his chin... All memories of the man came back to life. The fact that it actually wasn’t a big thing at all made him feel kinda empty. To think that he was the part-timer at the comic book store...

“Oh-”

“What’s wrong with you? Did you miss him because you suddenly remembered?”

“Nonsense. I just didn’t know what to say since I suddenly remembered.”

“He was really handsome, alright. But I think he’s more “pretty” than “handsome”?”

It was regretful that the thing he was so curious about turned out to be a waste. He wasn’t sure if he still wants to befriend the guy, but his face is still planted fresh in Yunho’s mind. That got him dumbfounded.

* * *

“I’m home~”

Nodding to greet at his mother who acknowledged him with a “You’re home?”, Jaejoong went inside his room. As expected, his mom is the only one. Kim Ahjoong probably locked herself up in her room, watching porn (he still believes that’s what his sister has been doing). His father, who sleeps a lot in the evening, must be sleeping at this hour, which is already past ten o'clock. Jaejoong took off his coat and hung it on the hanger and changed into comfortable clothes. As he was about to text Jungwoo, he opened the bag that he threw on the bed, and found U-Know’s album.

“Should I listen to this now...?”

The thoughts of sending a text to Jungwoo was long gone. Jaejoong took the CD and walked towards the audio player that took some space on the corner of his desk. He took off the vinyl covering the case and inserted the CD into the audio player. The first track was the title track. Jaejoong fell on the bed, unknowingly bobbing his head up and down. He buried his face in the pillow and immersed himself in the music.

On the other hand, Ahjoong left her room, bringing Jaejoong's clothes that their mother had mistakenly placed in her room. She stood in front the door of Jaejoong's room. She was planning to throw his clothes inside, not caring whether or not will the clothes be messed up. She put her hand on the handle, but then she paused. This perfect music coming from the other side of this door... This fantastic instrumental... Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god.

Throwing the clothes aside, Ahjoong ran back to her room. She was definitely sure that was one U-Know’s songs from his new album playing in her brother’s room. Jaejoong is listening to U-Know’s album... Did he went out to buy that album today? Is that the case? Did Jaejoong finally open his eyes to U-Know?

Unable to contain her excitement, Ahjoong frantically began to search for her phone. Taking the phone that was placed on the corner of her bed, she pressed the shortcut call button right away. After a brief calling tone, she could hear a voice came from the phone.

< “What’s up?” >

“ _Eonni eonni eonniii_!!!!This is big news I’m not kidding!! Jaejoong did something!!”

< “Oh? What is it?” >

“Jaejoong bought U-Know’s album!! He wasn’t even the type to buy albums....”

< “Really??? Oh yeah!!!! Aren’t we doing too good now??” >

“I know, I know~”

They were super satisfied with the fact that Jaejoong bought and listened to U-Know’s album. After making a fuss about Jaejoong's U-Know album, she barely calmed herself down and her voice begun to lower a little. Now is the time to come up with the next plan.

< “You know that next week U-Know will hold a fansign, right?” >

“Fansign? Of course. But why would that matter now?”

< “Really now?? You’re asking me why?? Of course we’re gonna bring Jaejoong there. It's a great opportunity.” >

“Ah....”

< “I’ve already planned everything, so let’s meet later in the YunJae-Making chatting room.” >

_“In that case, I'll take my part according to your orders. YunJae-Making, fighting!!!”_


	5. YJ Project - Chapter 05.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Actually, I myself also don’t know why we came here today, my friend. I’m just doing what your beautiful sister asked me to do.” 

Jaejoong fell asleep while listening to the album. It’s already morning when he opened his eyes and the audio player is still playing U-Know’s songs. He jumped up and turned off the heated audio player, thinking that the electricity bill must have gone awfully high. Last night before falling asleep, he listened to U-Know’s albums on infinite loops and he couldn’t even remember how many times it was. What kind of album would have such good songs on every tracks? He even got the urge to buy the second and first albums.

Jaejoong took out the heated CD and blew on it to cool it down like it was some kind of treasure, and put it back in the case. _“_ _What am I even doing?_ _”_ he thought for a bit, before he got distracted again by U-Know’s picture. _“_ _His parents must be so proud. How did they even give birth to a son like him... Well, my parents also gave birth to a_ _marvelous_ _son._ _”_

At the thought, Jaejoong smirked, placing the CD next to the audio player and left the room. He stared at his clothes scattered all over the floor. _“_ _What the hell is this?_ _”_ He picked up the clothes and threw them inside his room, and then he went to the bathroom to wash up.

After taking a clean bath, he went to the living room to find Ahjoong sitting on the sofa, watching the TV. _“_ _Well would you look at her. U-Know is coming out again, huh?_ _”_ He shook his head.

“ _Nuna_ , aren’t you going to work? You look like a NEET.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“........”

“........”

“........Is that enough? Why don’t you try leaving the house with a purpose of anything else except to see U-Know?”

As soon as she finished watching the commercial featuring U-Know without blinking at all, Ahjoong scarily turned her head towards Jaejoong who was talking to her. She smirked and told Jaejoong who was throwing a pathetic look down at her with a to “Get lost.” Her lips are itching to say, “Actually, teaching is only my side job. My main job is being the admin of YunJae-Making.” If Jaejoong actually know what kind of things his sister is doing, he’d definitely pass out. Well, what can we do about the stigma in our lives anyway?

While thinking of next week’s fansign, Ahjoong shut her lips tight and headed towards her room. Looking at her retreating back, Jaejoong said, “You’re gonna watch porn again, huh?” and received a blow from his sister. Puffing out his lips, he sat in front of the computer in the living room. School is on holiday, so all he has to do today is eat lunch and go to work. His morning is completely free. Thinking that it has been a while since he visited his fancafe, he clicked on the site.

_“_ _I_ _was 1_ _st_ _on the popular searched word? For what?_ _”_ Jaejoong tilted his head to one side, looking at the screenshot of the search words ranking in the fancafe gallery. He doesn’t even show up on TV like celebrities do. He’s just living his normal life. It amazed him how so many people online are actively involved in fan activities regarding himself. He would upload some selfies every now and then, but he rarely does that anyway. Almost all of the pictures uploaded are the ones taken and uploaded by Ahjoong. At first, he would freak out and ran away when a camera was aiming at him, but now he poses naturally and even took some pictures with certain concepts.

While checking the pictures recently posted by Ahjoong, Jaejoong saw one picture that made him stop his clicking movement. _“_ _Hm? What is this...?_ _”_ He saw a man with only his head visible, standing between a lot of women. That good-looking face is definitely... Kim Jaejoong. It’s funny to see that you can only see his head since he’s tall, but the funnier thing is that he’s the only man in the middle of the sea of women. _“_ _So fucking embarrassing._ _.._ _What kind of annoying human would take this picture?_ _”_

There were quite a lot of pictures listed. From him struggling in between several women, to him going inside the building. He really came for nothing. Getting embarrassed in front of U-Know, and getting his pictures taken like this... Well, there was also watching U-Know’s stage... and that’s not a bad thing... Jaejoong had a mixed feelings about this whole thing. Anyway, the conclusion is... that it’s so fucking embarrassing. Curious about what his fans would say about this, Jaejoong used the mouse to scroll the screen until the comment section could be seen.

[Why did Kim Jaejoong go to there?]

[You might not know this, but he went to see U-Know- _oppa_. The women who were with Jaejoong _oppa_ were all KNOW YOU board members.”

[So the KNOW YOU board members are all YunJae-Making admins?]

[Ah, really? Finally, YunJae-Making is active...♡]

[They said YunJae-Making plan is in progress. It’s really crazy right now.]

[What is YunJae?]

[Oh god, to think that you don’t know what YunJae is... Which planet did you come from?]

_“_ _What is this? It_ _’_ _s true that I went to see U-Know but what the hell is YunJae and YunJae-Making? As expected I_ _’_ _ll never understand the world of fangirling,_ _”_ he thought as he shook his head and sighed. He clicked on the comment on the bottom. Forgetting his previous thought of embarrassing moments, he happily smiled at the beautiful pictures of himself.

* * *

The promotion for his title song has come to an end. Usually, other singers would promote their title track for about two months, but U-Know swept away all the 1st place trophies right as soon as he made a comeback, so he had no choice but to promote the follow-up song earlier. It was something that had been predicted when he made a comeback, but now that he’s on this spot again, he felt empty. But still, thanks to the phone call with Youngwoon this morning, he doesn’t look as pissed as usual, but then a name that caused him to have an opposite reaction to when he saw his friend’s name on his phone appeared. He sighed before picking up the call.

“Yeah.”

< “The music program today―” >

“No, don’t. You said I’m gonna wrap up the title song promoting anyway.”

< “Okay, I get it. I’m actually calling to tell you I’m gonna cancel it.” >

“You did good.”

Why would he have to do something useless? Yunho ended the short call and placed his phone next to himself. Wanting to read the book he asked his manager to buy several days ago, Yunho took a seat and grabbed the book, but then suddenly he stopped. A figure of someone reading a book... The guy was reading a comic book, but the image still came to his mind. He didn’t have negative thoughts about people who he met when he was a Jung Yunho who hasn’t become U-Know yet. He didn’t know the feelings that was hidden before would come up again. Yunho then rushed himself to make a phone call.

“ _Hyung._ Don’t cancel that one. I’m gonna do it.”

It was Yunho who changed the plan. That man was an amazing guy to be able to make Yunho do this bothersome thing again, but he was the only precious memory of the past that was actually able to make Yunho laugh. Also, he regretted not remembering the guy before and letting him go. If the guy is really a fan who likes U-Know’s music, he might show up again today. With that thought, Yunho did all that with no hesitation.

Arriving at the studio a few hours later, Yunho was busy examining the crowd of fans who came to watch him during the rehearsal. He was looking down the stage because he didn't have to rush back to the waiting room. But even after the rehearsal, the guy didn't show up until the official recording began. Even until after the schedule ended. A definitely-not-small-at-all disappointment washes over Yunho’s mind.

It's been quite a time since he realized why this thing bothers him so much. It was because he had a hunch that he could laugh again if the guy is with him. Just like Youngwoon, he would become a friend from his past self. A hunch that maybe the guy can make him laugh through the present, not the past. It was a really trivial relationship, but he couldn't help but think of it like this without even knowing the reason.

Because he was a person from the past and not the present. Though it was an unusual emotion, Yunho thought he could have an interest in the guy.

* * *

Jaejoong was on his way home after a day of work. It was an every day thing, but especially today, he received a lot of presents while working part-time. He didn't know how to refuse them. He knew what Ahjoong or Jungwoo would need, so he just accepted everything, and pile them up under the counter. After asking the owner of the rental shop for understanding, he got some paper bags and carried the gifts home while complaining. Honestly, he didn’t realize it after looking at things like online fanclubs on the internet, but when he received presents like right now, he felt like he’s actually receiving a punishment. Anyway, he doesn’t really welcome these heavy things.

As soon as he got home, his sister popped up and stole all the presents. At that, Jaejoong threw away all the paper bags and went to his room, saying, “To hell with it. Take ‘em all.” He changed his clothes and came out to the living room to wash up, but Ahjoong who came out of nowhere grabbed on his arm from behind. When he looked back, a paper bag was shoved right in front of his eyes.

“W-what?”

“A present.”

“You’re saying as if you bought it for me.”

“Fufufu~ Anyway this is yours, so take good care of it.”

“What is this? Why?”

“I’ll put this in your room. See you after bath~”

After staring at his sister, who was heading to his room with a paper bag that she had pushed in front of Jaejoong's eyes, with a look of disapproval, Jaejoong went into the bathroom. After washing up, as soon as he came into his room, Jaejoong applied the lotion that was placed on his desk carefully before noticing a paper bag that was placed on his bed. He found some kind of box inside the bag. Raising his eyebrows curiously, Jaejoong took out the box and found some CDs placed inside.

At first, he was confused, but thanks to the splendidly taken pictures filling the cover of the CDs, he finally realized what the content of the box is. The box is filled with all of U-Know’s album, from first album to his third album, and even all of the albums and singles released abroad.

“What the- I already bought the third album! This is a waste of money!”

If he knew that the albums were sold as a set, he would’ve been fine with not having them at all. She should’ve gave him a week earlier. With all his regrets, Jaejoong placed the CD box on the shelf next to the audio player. He should start listening from the 1st album. And this time he would make sure to set a timer to turn it off before going to bed. What would he do if the CD broke after spinning so much in a hot audio player? Turning on the audio player and pressed the open button, he inserted the 1st album CD inside. As he was about to press the play button, the door opened, revealing his sister’s figure.

"Oh, really. You would just pop into someone's room without manners, huh?"

“Look who’s talking.”

“W-well. Why are you here again?”

Jaejoong got embarrassed at the sarcastic response and changed the subject. At that, Ahjoong smiled and said to Jaejoong,

“It’s about your friend. Was it Jungwoo? Anyway, give me his number.”

“Eh? Kang Jungwoo? Why?”

“I need him to help me with somethi- This brat. You talk too much. It’s because I forgot to bring my phone when we met last time.”

“What? Meet?”

“Well, y-yeah. I met him. Anyway, just tell me quick.”

“You’re so weird. Why would you want his number?”

Questioning his sister with suspicious look resulted in getting hit on the head. Complaining that he still got hit by his sister in such an age, he finally gave her his friend’s number. After typing the number that Jaejoong recited onto the phone that she brought with her, Ahjoong suddenly smiled and went out of the room.

_“_ _Yep. She_ _’_ _s definitely on to something._ _”_ Jaejoong fell into another imagination.

* * *

The next afternoon, Jaejoong let his home to meet up with Jungwoo. Worrying about what kind of weird thing his sister ate after witnessing his sister shaking both of her hands with a big smile on her face when she sees him off, he shrugged his shoulders and threw away all of his concern. His friend is always downloading MP3 files illegally, but he's throwing a fit about going to the music store because there's so many albums to buy. Getting off at the subway station where they were supposed to meet, Jaejoong got annoyed when he finally sees Jungwoo.

“You punk. What else is it that you wanna buy?”

“You won’t get even if I tell you.”

“This bastard is looking down on me again.”

“Heheh... I’ll treat you to eat today.”

“But you know we can just go to the place that we went to yesterday. Why do we have to go so far?”

“The thing that I wanted to buy only exists here.”

_“_ _Actually, I myself also don_ _’_ _t know why we came here today, my friend. I_ _’_ _m just doing what your beautiful sister asked me to do._ _”_ Poking at Jaejoong’s shoulder to stop him from grumbling, Jungwoo grabbed Jaejoong’s arm and headed to their destination.

_“_ _Why are there so many people here...?_ _”_ Thanks to the crowds at the entrance to the music store, Jaejoong and Jungwoo had a hard time getting into the building. Because it was a hassle to ride an elevator or escalator, they reached the music store through the emergency exit stairs. Surprisingly, there were fewer people here than what he expected. There were several people wearing a suits and putting their hands on their ears. The atmosphere is unusual as there is also a barricade in the middle of the music store.

As they stood from afar, tilting their head to a side, suddenly they felt their arms pulled by someone. When they looked up in surprise, one of the people in the suit was holding their arms. _“_ _Wh-what... Did we do something wrong?_ _”_

“Wh-what is it?”

“You can’t come here. Please go this way.”

“Pardon me?”

“I’ll show you the way.”

He was scared to death, thinking he was about to get scolded, but the guy said that he’ll show them the way out of nowhere. Releasing his hold on the two’s arms, the man walked somewhere. They had no choice but to follow the man, and where they arrived... There's a whole bunch of people there. People were lining up in an orderly fashion, making the surroundings noisy.

“W-what?”

“Please take this and stand over there.”

What the man gave them were two small pieces of paper. When he looked at it, he found that each page was numbered and there was some kind of stamp. While thinking what those papers could be, they got pushed back by a man in a suit and got stuck in the middle of the line. Too flustered, all they could do was stare blankly at each other's faces.

U-Know's fan signing event was conducted in a slightly different waythan usual, as the record store couldn’t be opened from a few days before the signing day.Only 200 lucky people who applied for the autograph sessions on the internet and were selected by lottery could participate. All the lucky ones are lined up with Jaejoong and Jungwoo right now. Of course, Jaejoong and Jungwoo are not one of the lucky ones who won, but they’re lucky to have a some kind of background actions that they didn’t even know about (The man in a suit with a pink necktie that was hired by Ahjoong’s gang).

While standing in line without knowing the purpose of doing so, Jaejoong took up his courage and tapped the girl in front of him.

“Excuse me...”

“Yes? .....Oh!”

“Ah, please don’t be surprised, but what is this line for?”

“Oh... T-t-t-that... Uh.... That... Um...”

She couldn’t compose her words. He was flustered over the fact that the girl was so surprised to see him that all she could do was fumble over her words and failed to give him an answer. At that, Jungwoo clicked his tongue and opted to ask someone else. At the upcoming answer, Jaejoong got even more flustered.

“W-what?? Fansign event???”

“Wow, this is unbelievable! What’s with that _ahjussi_? It was freaking hard it was to get into U-Know’s fansign, though? Because of that _ahjussi_ we’re having a windfall!”

“What windfall? Are you crazy?! I’m leaving. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

“What don’t-have-a-good-feeling?! You bought his album last time! Don’t say such nonsense. Why would you wanna let go of a chance this good? Do you know how much it costs people to be able to get into this fansign? Just tell him not to write your name~”

_“_ _What kind of absurd situation is this. Don_ _’_ _t tell me this is also my sister_ _’_ _s doing just like the thing that happened in the waiting room last time?_ _”_ With that thought, Jaejoong looked around at his surroundings. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find Ahjoong’s gang. What if U-Know recognized him when he signed for him? He’d probably go “You’re that weird kid from that time!” and laugh at Jaejoong. Busy thinking about that incident, it completely slipped his mind that he actually thought that he had met the singer several years ago. He was so eager with the thought of going back home.

“Hey, Kang Jungwoo. Did my sister call you and told you to bring me here?”

“.......Um, yeah. How did you find that out?”

“Damn... I knew it. That woman is doing something like last time again.”

“What? This happened before?”

“Urgh, I don’t wanna talk about it!”

His right mind is floating far away. If he moved a little out of line, that scary man from earlier would go “Please don’t go out of the line,” and push him back again, so he had no choice but to go on with the fansigning. _“_ _Does that_ ahjussi _have no intention to go to the bathroom or something..._ _”_

Not long after, he heard a loud cheer coming from the crowd. The people in front of him tried their best to stand on their toes to peek at the place on the front. Jaejoong and Jungwoo who are tall enough doesn’t have any difficulties in looking at the source of the commotion. It’s U-Know. “Anyway, everyone already know that U-Know will come anyway, so why is he dressing up in that sunglasses trying to look cool?”...is what he wanted to say... But U-Know _really do_ look amazing. In this situation, Jaejoong, who noticed himself thinking of that when he saw U-Know, bit his lower lip and let out an irritated sigh. Jungwoo standing next to him is muttering in wonder on why this is such a windfall.

After a while, the fansigning event started and everyone moved forward bit by bit. No matter how hard he tried to run away, Jungwoo would grab him from behind and the man in the suit would grab him from the side. _“_ _Dammit, I think the only way I_ _’_ _d get to be free is only if I get the signature._ _”_ After several attempts to get out, Jaejoong finally decided to give up and just wait for his turn. In the meantime, the line was getting even shorter, to the point that he could see U-Know’s face, who is doing his best signing the papers. _“I'm gonna keep my head down so_ _you_ _can't see_ _me_ _._ _Also_ _I'm not_ _gonna_ _say_ _anything.”_ Making his own strategy in his mind, Jaejoong waited for his turn with his heart pounding hard.

*****dung dung kung kung ba dum tss(?)*** **

He finally stood in front of U-Know. Without even looking up, U-Know asked for his name. Jaejoong whose body is all stiff from the tension couldn’t say anything. At the strange action, U-Know began to lift his head up. _“_ _Just when I tried hard to hide my face... But wait a minute! Isn_ _’_ _t it easier for him to look at me if he was sitting lower than my head?!_ _”_ But looking up at the ceiling would also made him look like a crazy person... Jaejoong made a face like he was about to cry, and opted to make eye contact with U-Know.

Yunho who raised his head slowly and made eye contact with him, looked at him with shaky eyes for a very short time, before slowly raising the corner of his lips up. _“_ _See!! He_ _’_ _s laughing at me!!_ _”_ Talking to himself in his mind, Jaejoong shut his eyes tightly. At that, Yunho raised the corner of his mouth again and began to sign the paper that was already prepared beforehand. After writing “To. Jaejoong” without much thought, he scribbled down his signature. And below that... he wrote something else.

After receiving the signed paper, with his eyes still shut tightly, Jaejoong quickly tried to ran away, only to bump into the person in front of him. He fell down with his eyes open, still feeling his heart fluttering. _“_ _Aaaaaaarggghhhhh!!!!!! So fucking embarrassing!!!!_ _”_

He looked up to check on Jungwoo who was getting U-Know’s autograph with his head held high. That guy is something else, indeed. How can he talk so well in front of a singer he has never seen before? With a deep sigh, Jaejoong looked down at the already crumpled signed paper. Still crouching down, he walked towards the corner, blew on the crumpled paper and lowered his head.

_“....Eh....? How did he know my name...? And on top of all.... This small writing underneath the sign...... These 11 digit numbers....._

_HIS PHONE NUMBER?????”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- NEET: Not in Education, Employment, or Training  
> \- ahjussi: a married, or middle-aged man. Can be used when calling an unfamiliar grown man


	6. YJ Project - Chapter 06.

_“What is this? What is this? What is this? What is this?”_ The numbers lined up below the autograph made Jaejoong’s head full with question marks. _“What if this_ _is_ _his phone number? Nah, there’s no way~ Then whose number is this? Did he write these numbers on other people’s papers too? Maybe it’s a lucky draw number for the next fansign?”_ As all sorts of thoughts passing through his mind until Jungwoo came to him with a bright smile after receiving his autograph. His face is full of excitement.

“Dude, why are you squatting down here? You look like a beggar. Get up quickly, idiot.”

Jungwoo folded U-Know's autograph, put it in his bag, and lifted Jaejoong to his feet by his arm.

“What’s wrong? Is U-Know too handsome for you to handle? The hell’s up with you?”

“Uwaaahhhh.....”

“This brat! You fell for him, huh? You can’t do that, you know~ No matter how pretty you are, U-Know won’t be interested in men―”

“Argh, shut up!!”

“Now, now, look at this punk screaming because I hit the nails.”

Jaejoong’s thought became even more complicated, listening to his friend trying to stir him up. Just what the hell is happening?

“Where’s your sign?” Jungwoo asked, trying to snatch Jaejoong’s autographed paper. Jaejoong quickly stopped him and hid his paper behind his back.

“See? You’re acting all weird.” Jungwoo looked at Jaejoong suspiciously.

There was nothing to buy in the first place, and they couldn’t imagine walking around between all this mess of a crowd, so Jaejoong and Jungwoo chose to go out of the building. Jaejoong was still in the state of losing his mind, and Jungwoo ignored his friend’s condition, and dragged him to the subway station. When he got on the subway and sat down, Jaejoong took the crumpled paper he had been hiding behind his back and put it his bag.

“Kang Jungwoo.”

“What?”

“What did U-Know write under his sign?”

“On mine? He wrote “Happy New Year.” Hahah that’s because I asked him not to write my name. I could sell this for a good chunk, heheh.”

“Uh... He didn’t write something like numbers?”

“Numbers? What numbers? Today’s date?

“Uhm, no. It’s nothing.”

_“_ _No way. So he only wrote that on mine? Is that really his phone number? But why would he? I actually considered that he was playing a prank, but he doesn_ _’_ _t look like someone who would do so, nor he have that kind of playful personality. No, but what is this, really...?_ _”_ He was rolling his eyes and crunching up his nose when suddenly Jungwoo said something that came to his mind.

“Oh, that’s right! Ahjoongie- _nuna_ is U-Know’s fan right? Great~ I’ll give this to her~ She would love this! Hehehe....”

“Nah, she has like ten or more of those.”

“Ouch.... I see...”

His sister have gone to fansigning events for several times before. He didn’t get what kind of fun she’s getting doing these kind of thing. Jungwoo’s face turned sullen at Jaejoong’s revelation. “Guess I’ll just sell this,” he mumbled and sighed. Jaejoong clicked his tongue at that, glancing at his bag which contains U-Know’s autograph. He had mixed feelings about this.

Even after parting ways with Jungwoo and entering his home, Jaejoong still don’t understand anything. Today, the rental shop he worked at has a day off, so he doesn’t have to go to work. All that’s left for him to do was rot in his home. Doing nothing at all would feel so boring.

Suddenly he thought of Ahjoong, who definitely wouldn’t want to miss anything about U-Know even if she was in her own room. There’s no way she didn’t come to the fansign. Wondering of her whereabouts, he checked on her room. As expected, it was empty. She definitely went to the fansign, but he just didn’t get a chance to meet her. Suddenly reminded of U-Know’s autograph, Jaejoong shut his lips tightly and headed back to his room. Closing the door after coming inside, he opened his bag and took out a piece of crumpled paper. Sitting at his desk, he thoroughly straightened the paper and stare at the 11 digits of numbers lined up under the signature. The numbers started with 010 so he has no doubt that it’s a phone number.

Huffing out his breath, he stared hard at the numbers. Suddenly, heard a sound coming from the front door, followed by the sound of someone’s footsteps coming on to the direction of his room, and his room door suddenly opened. Hiding the crumpled paper beneath a book next to it out of surprise, Jaejoong turned his head towards the door. He could see Ahjoong standing in front of the open door, breathing heavily.

“W-what is it?”

“You... Where did you go today?”

“Me...?”

“Yes, you!! You went somewhere with Kang Jungwoo didn’t you? Didn’t you go to Hot Tracks?”

....See? Ahjoong even knew what Jaejoong did today. She definitely was the one behind all of this, but she was probably surprised because she didn’t manage to see him at the event. Jaejoong came up with a good idea, smirking inwardly to himself. She probably would feel upset if she thought that her plan failed. Great, indeed.

“Hot Tracks? Why would I?”

“....What? Didn’t Kang Jungwoo bring you there?”

“Aah... We just went to eat near the area and went back home. Actually I just got home~”

“What?!?!?!”

“What’s wrong, _Nuna_?”

At Jaejoong’s answer, Ahjoong had a look of despair on her face, her body hanging weakly, saying “I see...”, before turning back. Jaejoong smirked devilishly at Ahjoong’s retreating back. _“_ _I got one on my sis!_ _”_ He suddenly felt happy. He giggled, closing the opened door of his room, and went back to the desk. His happiness was short-lived as he turned to look at the book where the paper was hidden. Thanks to that, the smile that was present on his face disappear as the corner of his mouth went down. _“What’s you_ _r_ _identity, Mr. Phone Number?”_

Several hours later, Jaejoong got a call from Jungwoo.

“Hello?”

< “Hey!! What did you say to Ahjoong- _nunim_?!” >

“Me? Why?”

< “She sent me a message saying I’m a bad guy! I was shocked and tried to call her but she won’t answer the call! She even turned her phone off! Just what did you say to her that made her became that way?!” >

“Eh? I didn’t say anything, though? Why would she act like that... Hm... Don’t you think you did something wrong? Think carefully~”

< “Of course I’ve thought carefully! But nothing came to mind! Damn, this is so frustrating! Aaaaarggghh!!” >

Jaejoong could go deaf by listening to that shout of agitation. Thinking on why would Ahjoong do that, Jaejoong shrugged when he decided that nothing came to his mind. After listening to Jungwoo’s crying voice, Jaejoong hung up and went to the living room. Ahjoong was sitting in front of the computer with her hand supporting her chin.

“What the hell! You could just use the computer in your room. Why are you using this one?”

“Is this yours or something? This is the family’s! The one in my room is mine! This is the family’s so this is mine too!”

He was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t retort back. With a frown on his lips, Jaejoong went to sit on the sofa and turned the TV on. But no matter how many times he changed the channels, there’s nothing interesting to watch. Annoyed, he turned the TV off again and laid himself on the sofa.

He turned his gaze to Ahjoong who was watching the computer monitor, which showed a video of some people talking with headphones on their heads, sitting around a round desk. That was a visible radio. Jaejoong took out his phone from his pocket. Without much thought, he opened his phone contacts and stopped his hand a contact that he saved earlier, which contained the number that U-Know gave him earlier. Should he try calling once...? He hoped this wasn’t those kind of calls that costs you a lot of bills.

Meanwhile, just like what Jaejoong thought, Ahjoong was watching a visible radio. Of course the one on the radio is U-Know! Reminded of her failed plan, she really wanted to beat the hell out of that Jungwoo guy, but she need to maintain her image, so she opted to send that one text instead. Looking at U-Know face really cooled down her anger. She could see Jaejoong lying on the sofa, doing something on his phone. Giggling from time to time while watching the radio, she could see U-Know’s phone screen light up from the table. At that, U-Know excused himself to the DJ in a good-mannered way and opened his phone and closed it.

“What the hell? Why isn’t he answering?”

_“Hm?”_ That made Ahjoong turned her head towards Jaejoong who was mumbling with his phone on his hear. _“Whaaat?”_ She went back to look at the monitor. And again, she could see U-Know’s phone screen lighted up. Without thinking much, she turned her head back at Jaejoong who once again had his phone up to his ear. Her eyebrows rose up, and snapped her head back to look at the monitor again. Once again, U-Know opened and closed his flip phone.

“Urgh, he rejected it again?”

.....Wow. This is getting creepy. She had goosebumps all over her body, thinking how could there be such coincidence like this. Chewing on her lower lip, she stealthily glanced at Jaejoong who made another phone call. Breathing heavily, she looked at the monitor again and her heartbeat rose when she saw U-Know’s phone light up again. Apologizing once again, U-Know flipped his phone open pressed on the power button to turn his phone off.

“The heck?! Now you’re turning your phone off?!”

_“Whaaaaaat.........? Eeeehh..........? N -n-n-n-n-noooo waaaayy.........?”_

* * *

After the radio ended, Yunho excused himself to the DJ in between the songs playing and went out of the studio. It was a habit of his to not turn off his phone during radio shows as it was more relaxed than TV shows, but doing so on a visible radio like today was clearly a mistake. Yunho took out his phone out of his pocket to turn it back on. When he was about to do so, he met an unwelcomed face in the hallway.

Where is his manager when he needs help getting out of this situation? He’s now face to face with Ryuan who told her bandmate and her manager to go first. Scowling, Yunho quickened his step to get past her. Ryuan who stood there, waiting for Yunho to pass by, grabbed him by his arm as soon he was near her. Yunho slowly closed and opened his eyes again and turned his head towards Ryuan.

“What do you need?”

“Talking formally again? Your schedule is all done, right?”

“Huffft... Please let go of my arm.”

“Do you know what I was gonna say to you that day? Is that why you hung up on me?”

“I hung up because I don’t want to hear what you’re about to say.”

Releasing her hold on Yunho’s arm, Ryuan gently smiled, looking up at Yunho, and crossed her arms. She slightly raised one of her eyebrows.

“Why? Worried I’d ask you out?”

“Is that not the case?”

“Hahah. Of course that was my intention. To be honest, coming on to a big star like U-Know sounds a bit absurd, but that wasn’t the case for someone like me.”

He seriously wanted to put his hand on this woman’s forehead to check whether she has a fever or not. There’s no way someone who’s perfectly fine and healthy would be able to say such nonsense. Even when some amazing star came to him, Yunho would ruthlessly reject them. But what kind of case is this woman even talking about? She must think of herself as some great woman or something.

“Ah. I see.... Then, please excuse me...”

“Where are you going? If you know what I’m trying to do, the you should give me an answer.”

“Hhh... Look, Ryuan.”

“Oh? You even knew my name?”

“I hate crazy women. You get me?”

Yunho, who was much taller than the woman, sent a cynical look to her without even lowering his head, looking down at her by just moving his eyeballs, and the turned around. _“_ _I was trying to be nice but it_ _’_ _s all messed up now._ _”_ He rolled his tongue inside his mouth, looking displeased, ignoring the red-faced thick-skinned woman standing behind him. Walking out of the building with his long legs, Yunho walked towards his manager who was sitting in the van’s driver seat, waiting for him.

“I was on air. Show some interest.”

“Even if I didn’t show it, I have U-Know who always did the best. I have nothing to worry.”

After he got into the car, his manager began to drive the van. At his manager’s words, Yunho slightly smirked and leaned back deeply into his seat. As the van left the parking lot, they got blocked by the fans who were standing all over the road. Yunho sighed and closed his eyes.

He could feel that he was much busier when he was a rookie rather than now. That was because he had to record programs and do events in order promote his face. However, at times like this, excluding having to go back and forth abroad, his schedules less tight. At most, he has to record music programs, talk shows, radio shows, and commercials.

Upon arriving home a little after midnight, Yunho sent his manager off and went inside his house. Throwing his shoes off, he went to the living room which was clean thanks to the housekeeper’s doing. Lying down on the sofa, Yunho let out a sigh. These days he has been sighing a lot. Is it because the day Youngwoon enlists is getting closer? He usually has no friends, but suddenly regaining one and losing that one again? He couldn’t help but feel restless.

Considering to send a text to Youngwoon, he took out his phone out of his pocket and turned the gadget on. He was searching for Youngwoon’s number to send a text, but then he remembered something. The incoming calls earlier, when he was on the radio show. Usually, he would get some calls from unknown numbers which turned out to be his fans, wherever they got his number from, and he’d usually pay no mind. But today he got them when he was on a schedule, so he couldn’t help but care.

When he saw that guy at the fansign, he automatically smiled, feeling suddenly relieved. The man that he had (not really) been looking for had turned up at a place where he could see the man a little closer, like a signing event. However, they’re not in a situation where they can talk for a long time, and the man had to leave soon. So, without himself realizing, Yunho had scribbled his phone number in the place where he should have left a comment. That was an action he did without measuring the chance that his number could get leaked. Really, that was a mistake that he did without thinking properly. To be fair, he did that because he doesn’t want to miss the chance anymore.

He couldn’t lose the guy too while Youngwoon was away. That was why he gave the guy his phone number. There was no way Jaejoong would know that Yunho was a guy who used to go to the comic rental shop to try to get close to him. He probably sees Yunho as U-Know. He didn’t know why, but the guy stood in front of him while refusing to meet his eyes, choosing to shut his eyes tightly instead. Remembering that made Yunho laugh out loud. _“_ _Is he not my fan?_ _”_ he thought. But then again, he wouldn’t have been able to go to the fansign if he wasn’t one.

Yunho, who was lost in thought for a moment, turned his eyes to his cell phone screen again. He stopped writing the text message he was about to send to Youngwoon and checked the phone number that had dialed when he was doing the radio show earlier.

* * *

Jaejoong who fell asleep a little earlier than usual today, was breathing peacefully in his sleep. His phone was on silent, placed on the desk next to the bed. But then the phone started to vibrate. However, his phone was the type that have a vibration that loud enough to be a ringtone. Because he placed his phone on the desk, the vibration sounds even louder thanks to the friction of the desk.

Moaning in sleepiness, he opened his eyes slightly, extending his arm to reach for his phone. Not even thinking about checking the caller ID, he slid his phone up to pick up the call.

“Hmmnh.......hellooo...?”

< “.......” >

“.......”

_“_ _Why are you calling if you_ _’_ _re not even gonna talk? Is this a dream?_ _”_ He opened his eyes wider, wanting to check the caller ID, and removed his phone from his ear for a moment to look at the screen. He had to bring it back to his ear right away without checking the screen because the other person finally started talking.

< “Kim... Jaejoong... _ssi_?” >

_“....Yes, that’s me. Who are you to wake me up from my sweet sleep?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- All Korean mobile phone numbers started with 010  
> \- I guess this is already obvious by now, but Yunho is using a flip phone, while Jaejoong is using a slider phone.


	7. YJ Project - Chapter 07.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Waking up a sleeping man, driving him to the brink of a heart attack, and then, what? Good night? Is he eating some kind of grass?” 

< “Kim... Jaejoong... _ssi_?” >

_“....Yes, that’s me. Who are you to wake me up from my sweet sleep?”_

“Um... Yes...?”

< “Ah, I’m U-Know.” >

“Ah, yes...”

_“_ _......Ah... yes....? Yes?????? What?!?!?! What did you say?!?!?!_ _”_ Jaejoong, who was answering the phone half-asleep, jumped up in surprise. The trance of sleep that remained flew out of the window. Blinking his eyes, he hurriedly took the phone off of his ear and looked at the screen, and it was U-Know’s number that he saved earlier. [That person] is what written on the screen.

“Ah... I.. Um.. W-what’sweet..?

_“_ _Sweet...?! Really?_ _”_ He was too nervous that his tongue stiffened. Before he knew it,, he was sitting on his knees, feeling so nervous that his chewed air. _“_ _Is this U-Know for real? It_ _’_ _s not a prank call or anything?_ _”_

< “You called earlier, didn’t you? I had a schedule at that time, so I couldn’t answer. Thank you for calling my number. Though you might have been kinda spooked.” >

“Uh... Yes... W-well...”

< “Ah, right. I apologize for being rude in the waiting room the other day." >

“Eh, no, no! That one was my own fault―”

_“_ _Huhuuu is this really U-Know?? Is this really not a dream??_ _”_ Chewing on his lips, Jaejoong lifted his other hand to pinch his cheek, just to make sure. _“_ _Ouch. That hurts as hell, alright. So this is not a dream..._ _”_ Jaejoong realized that he was unconsciously kneeling and bowing his head, and his head felt like it was going to break. _“Why are there so many shocking things happening these days?_ _!_ _”_

< “Pfft... You were probably surprised earlier, right? I did that because that wasn’t a situation where we can have a conversation.” >

“Uhm... I... Why....?”

< “Are you asking why I did that?” >

“Yes...”

First of all, he finally understood that this is not a dream, but a reality. Right now, all kind of questions are popping up inside his head, along with the shock. _“_ _Just what exactly_ _this guy leav_ _es_ _me his number for?_ _To apologize for that waiting room incident? I don_ _’_ _t think so..._ _”_

< “Erm, by any chance, do you remember seeing me before I debuted?” >

“Eh?”

< “It was 3 years ago.” >

_“_ _...Yeah I do. But the problem is I don_ _’_ _t remember what kind of situation that was. I can_ _’_ _t say that I remember because I only remembered vaguely seeing your face._ _”_ Jaejoong suddenly remembered Yunho's familiar face. He also remembered going through his yearbook to try to remember who Yunho was. But the thing is, he wasn’t successful by doing so. That made him question himself again, whether or not they really have met before. _“_ _Is that why he_ _’_ _s contacting me? Maybe he was a close friend and I had an amnesia... Yeah. Right. That totally makes sense._ _”_ While all sorts of miscellaneous thoughts were floating around his, Yunho's voice came back from across the phone.

< “You don’t remember? You probably won’t anyway.” >

“...Yes, I don’t remember at all.”

< “It’s okay even if you don’t” >

“Yes?”

< “I'm going to get close to you from now on, so you don't have to remember that." >

_"Wait, what? Who will get close to whom? By whose will? My will...(?)"_

< “I think I woke you up, so I’ll hang up now. Let’s keep in touch from time to time.” >

“Ah... Yes...”

< “Oh! You know you can’t leak my number, right?” >

“Ah, of course. You don’t have to worry about that.”

< “Okay, then. Good night.” >

“Yes. You too, have a good sleep, U-Know- _nim_.”

Jaejoong heard some kind of laugh before the call was hung up. _“_ _U-Know-_ nim _? Really now? Ah why am I like this?_ _”_ After hanging up, Jaejoong was frozen with his mouth open for a few seconds. Then he covered his mouth with his palm, screaming “Uwaaaahhh!” while shoving his face onto the bed. To be honest, Jaejoong was so shocked that his mind was not in the right order. _“_ _I just had a phone call with U-Know and now the call is already hung up,_ _”_ is the only thing that was on his mind. He wanted to scream to his heart’s content, but it was clear that his mom, dad and sister could wake up, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth and scream.

_“_ _What is U-Know-_ nim _? And who even say_ _“_ _have a good sleep_ _”_ _?_ In a rush of embarrassment, Jaejoong punched himself in the head with his face still stuck to the bed. _“No,_ _but_ _why_ _am I_ _getting_ _involved_ _with U-Know all of a sudden these days?_ _This is all because of Kim Ahjoong!_ _”_ He looked up and glared at an imaginary Ahjoong. _“_ _Just you wait._ _”_

 _“Wak_ _ing_ _up a sleeping man, dri_ _ving_ _him to the brink of a heart attack_ _, and then, what? Good night? Is he eating some kind of grass?_ _”_ No, but no matter how confusing the incident at the waiting room is, you’re not supposed to act all rude to someone you just met, showing off all that charisma, talking with such cold words and using high form of speech. Jaejoong couldn’t help but felt dumbfounded. Introducing himself as U-Know- Well he needs to do that anyway. If he didn’t Jaejoong would’ve thought that he was a crazy fan like Ahjoong. Also, by that voice and way of speaking, he couldn’t have recognize him as U-Know.

He picked up his cell phone and checked the contact again, and of course, the most recent call was by [That person]. It _was_ [That person]. Jaejoong himself doesn't know why he saved the number as [That person]. But if he wrote [U-Know], he’s afraid someone else will see it and spread it (even though no one would believe it). Saving it as [Jung Yunho] also felt kinda awkward. They’re not even close. That’s why he randomly saved it as [That person].

Jaejoong took a deep breath as calmly as possible and tried to remember the call he just made. He was so surprised and received the call when he was completely out of his mind, he couldn’t really remember properly. But he did remember that Yunho wanted to get close to him. More than that, it was that Yunho knew that they met several years ago. Also why is that man making him even more curious than he already was without even knowing what he was doing? Pouting his lips, frustrated at these signs of dementia for not being able to remember what happened in the past.

Reading [That person]’s contact name endlessly, he still couldn’t feel that this is real. It's really dark outside the window, and the only thing that he can see is the cell phone screen. If this is a dream, then it’s a good one. But _if_ this is a dream, he’d probably feel disappointed.

Jaejoong stayed up all night hugging his pillow and holding his cell phone in his hand.

* * *

“You too, have a good sleep, U-Know- _nim_.” That voice came to mind again, making Yunho laugh heartily. Mumbling while answering the call that came when he was sleeping, bolting up when he realized that the caller was Yunho- Yunho felt as if he could almost see the scene with his eyes.

Approaching people directly like this really wasn’t a Yunho thing to do, but he was already determined to do what he wanted. Just because the way he treated people has changed, doesn’t mean Yunho would change every bit of his personality. Above all, that Kim Jaejoong guy was someone who he met as Jung Yunho, not as U-Know.

Yunho saved the number that he just called to his phone. Among his manager, Youngwoon, and some other people from his agency, he added another number to his contact list. He wrote [Kim Jaejoong] as the ID and then went back to his home screen. It’s still unclear, but a smile was already engraved on his face, thinking about his upcoming connection with the man. These days he sighed more than he usually do. This seems strange, but he also got to smile more.

Yunho, who had been lying down on the sofa, shook his head twice and headed to the kitchen. To quench his thirst, he drank water from the water purifier, and took his lips off of the cup when he heard a text message notification coming from the living room. He put the empty cup on the table, strode to the living room, picked up his cell phone, and felt bad for this but he was kinda disappointed when he saw Youngwoon’s name. He doesn't know if he’s already more interested in the guy than Youngwoon, but even 3 years ago, he already liked the comic shop part-timer who he just met for several days more than Youngwoon whom he already known for several years.

[What are you doing right now? I texted you this evening but you haven’t replied to me at all, you punk-_-]

Yunho smiled at the message and sent a reply.

[You’re waiting for me? You’ve became more humane now that you’re gonna enlist, huh?”

[Joking again? If I really went to the army, what’s gonna happen to you lol]

[What]

[You have no friends lololol]

[Get lost]

[LOL shouldn’t you try contacting someone from high school? Oh right, I’m your only friend.]

[Drop it, punk. I don’t need that.]

[Oho? Why? You liked that you befriended someone thanks to me and not getting bored, no?]

[You’d never know.]

[Ah, bastard always so cold. The scary guy who never send texts with emojis]

He smiled again. Something came to mind when he texted Youngwoon. Will the day that he got along with people like this come? Will he be able to smile everyday?

* * *

Ahjoong was surprised to find Jaejoong, whose dark circles came down to his ankles because he couldn't get a wink of sleep all night. _“Why_ _is_ _my beautiful_ _brother_ _, who will be_ _U-Know_ _'s wife in the future, come out of the room with_ _that_ _kind of_ _face?_ _Ah, my tears would fall down._ _”_

“Kim Jaejoong, you couldn’t sleep? What’s with your face?”

“Ugh, don’t talk to me.”

“The hell...”

Ahjoong tilted her head as she saw Jaejoong's back as he entered the bathroom with a sagging body. After a while, as soon as Jaejoong got out of the bathroom, the kid ran into his room and threw himself onto the bed. _“_ _Suit yourself..._ _”_ She could hear him snoring.

“Jaejoong! Kim Jaejoong!! Wake up!! Aren’t you gonna go to work?”

“Ngh... Let me be...”

“Let you be?? You’ll throw a fit later if you don’t get up now! Get up quick! Up!”

“Dammit...”

Ahjoong pulled on his blanket and hit Jaejoong’s cheeks several times, until he whined and fell off the bed while trying to avoid the beating. Still mumbling half asleep and fighting to open his eyes, he glanced at the clock on the wall, and―

“Aaahh!! It’s 6 o’clock! Why didn’t you wake me up!!”

“I’ve been trying to wake you up for an hour, Jaejoong- _ah_.”

“Nooooo....”

Making a crying voice, Jaejoong hurried to get ready for work. Taking a bath, washing his hair and drying it, putting his clothes on, he finished getting ready fast, and ran out of the door. Since his part-time job was at 6 o'clock, Jaejoong had to run towards the rental store at the speed of light. He was glad that he dried his hair, no matter how late he was. If he had been running at this rate with wet hair, he would’ve caught a cold thanks to his freezing head.

He arrived a little bit later than half past six, he bowed his head in apology several times to the part-timer who had been working overtime for half an hour. Moreover, the part-timer whose shift was before his. Is. A. _Girl_. She seemed to have forgiven Jaejoong before he even said he was sorry.

Jaejoong was still busy scanning barcodes at the crowded rental shop. Working like that for a long time, he could feel his stomach getting really hungry. He had been up all night, and slept all morning. He didn’t even have breakfast or dinner. He rubbed his stomach and put on a sad face. Then, he suddenly remembered the gifts he received before. He sneaked to search through the gifts when there were no customers, and his smile came back to his face.

_“_ _Yay~ Chocolates~ Lucky~_ _”_ he shouted inwardly. Taking out a box full of chocolate, Jaejoong put it in the space just below the counter and took it out one by one and began eating. He couldn't believe he was given a high calorie chocolate. If the person who gave him this present showed up again (though he doesn’t remember anyone), he’s willing to give them his killer smile which he doesn’t usually do.

At that time, the cell phone the he put in his pocket sounded vibrated powerfully, signaling that a text message had arrived. Savoring the taste of the melting chocolate in his mouth, he took out his cell phone slid it open.

[What are you doing?] said the text.

_“This is from... T-that person?”_

When he saw the sender's name, he was so shocked almost fell out of his chair. They talked on the phone last night, but it's true that he still can’t get used to it anyway. Even now, he’s still wondering if this is a prank or not. Jaejoong pressed the reply button with his slightly trembling finger and sent a message saying [I’m working part-time, haha]. If he got a reply to this text again, he’ll bravely reply [“Do you really think I believe that you’re U-Know?]

Several customers came by and ten minutes had passed, Jaejoong’s phone showed no sign of vibration. _“_ _See? I knew that you_ _’_ _re not U-Know. Why would such a popular singer send me some text messages as if he doesn_ _’_ _t have anything else to do._ _”_ He was trying to calm his surprised heart for a bit when the cold-hearted phone chose that time to vibrate powerfully. He opened his eyes wide, unlocked the screen, and read the text.

[Part-time work at the comic store?]

_“_ _Now, how did he know? Is U-Know my stalker?_ _”_ He began to think of nonsense, pressing on the reply button and began to type. It wasn’t a conversation where they need to directly talk, so it was easier than before.

[Yes. How did you know of that?]

[I just do. We’re the same age, so you can just drop the formal speech.]

_“_ _He even knew my age? Is he really a stalker?_ _”_ Jaejoong began to feel frightened. It seems that he had forgotten that something basic like his age would show up in his profile on the internet. And on top of that, he was talking to U-Know... _“_ _Isn_ _’_ _t this like the first step to get close to someone?_ _”_

[Ah... Is that how it is;;;]

[Yeah. Anyway, your formal typing feels kinda awkward.]

_“_ _No, but I can_ _’_ _t adapt to this sudden development... It_ _’_ _s a text message, but there_ _’_ _s no abbreviations or emojis at all. It_ _’_ _s stiff and it sounds like he_ _’_ _s angry. God. You shouldn_ _’_ _t live like this. People wouldn_ _’_ _t like to text you._ _”_

[Excuse me, but are you not busy? lol]

[I thought you’re gonna talk casually.]

[Ah... It’s too sudden so it doesn’t work...-_-]

[Yeah it’s sudden, I know. Next time, if you’re bored you can just text me. I’ll answer if I don’t have any schedule.]

_“So you know that it was sudden. No, but just why exactly are you doing this to me...? Like... It’s me... Even though this feels too good to be true...”_

* * *

After Jaejoong left, as usual, Ahjoong did the laundry and cleaned the house, and sat in front of the computer. She stared at the wallpaper that never fail to make her happy. She suddenly remembered that huge incident from yesterday.The thing that shocked her more that the failed fansign plan... It’s probably coincidental, but that really surprised Ahjoong that she thought she was having a heart attack. Chewing on her lower lip, she picked up the phone that was placed next to her computer, and phoned her fellow colleague.

When she told her about yesterday’s incident, her colleague also told her in a jittery manner that she should try calling that number once from Jaejoong’s phone. She couldn’t see Ahjoong, but Ahjoong nodded with a solemn expression anyway, and waited for Jaejoong to come home.

After hours of waiting, Jaejoong entered the house, and when she saw Jaejoong entering the bathroom, without fail, Ahjoong quickly ran into her brother’s room. After searching the bag that was placed on the desk and failed to find what she searched for, she moved to search on Jaejoong’s coat which was hung onto the chair. She finally found the small phone. Ahjoong smirked evilly and quickly took the phone to her room.

As soon as she entered her room, she locked the door and unlocked Jaejoong’s phone. She then sat on the bed and checked the call log. Then, the call details showed up, along with the text messages. She could see an overwhelming number of names on the list. Well, names, except for one.

[That person].

 _“_ _Yeah, who the hell is that person, indeed?_ _”_ Ahjoong tilted her head and scrolled down. She finally found the call log on the time the radio was airing. Of course, at that time, the name that was listed with a countless call, [That person].

With no hesitation, Ahjoong pressed the call button.

Of course, with the courage and certainty that [That person] couldn’t be U-Know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- high form of speech (높임말) : used to elders, teachers, boss, etc to show your respect to them.  
> \- It doesn't really show that they're using formal or casual speech but it really is hard to show those in English;;;; I'm sad;;;;


	8. YJ Project - Chapter 08.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The goddess of fortune, who had ruthlessly let go of their hands, seems to have given us her hands again.”

Ahjoong, who slid down slider phone in her hand after the call, had a complicated look on her face. Until just now, she received a text, asking her _“_ _What?_ _”_ and the voice answering the phone wasn’t U-Know’s. He introduced himself as a part-timer who worked at the same place as Jaejoong. He said his name was Kim Youngwoon. Listening to the tone of his voice or the way he talks, he was sure that wasn’t U-Know at all. Somehow the similar voice tone irked her, but she thought that was probably just her feeling. _“_ _Of course he_ _’_ _s not,_ _”_ she thought, feeling sad.

Ahjoong laid on the bed, throwing Jaejoong’s phone somewhere. She chose to think of that moment as U-Know and Jaejoong’s telepathy call (is that even telepathy) moment, felt satisfied and left it at that. But then, why would Jaejoong save that Kim Youngwoon guy’s number as [That person]? When she was about to think of the reason, she could hear Jaejoong’s voice from the living room.

“Dammit! I forgot my phone!!”

At that loud scream, Ahjoong poked her head out of her room. “What? It’s gone?” she asked. Jaejoong searched all over the living room, saying that he even texted someone before coming home. When Jaejoong was searching over the sofa, Ahjoong quickly headed towards the shoe rack. In a show of agility, she quickly put Jaejoong’s phone on top of the rack.

“If it was still with you in front of the house, then it’s probably in the house. Look carefully~ Did you search the shoe rack?”

At Ahjoong’s words, Jaejoong went “Ah!” and headed towards the shoe rack, finding his phone. Not even knowing the actual situation, he thanked his sister and went into his room with light steps. Ahjoong was finally able to calm her pounding heart. She sighed in relief. _“_ _By the way, why isn_ _’_ _t our next YunJae-Making strategy out yet?_ _”_ Actually, after knowing that their fansign plan had failed, everyone had been down.

* * *

Several days have passed since Jaejoong and Yunho began to contact each other. And spoke (or text) informally. Now, Jaejoong could even send some texts to Yunho as if it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t on a regular basis, but he still got a reply. More importantly, sometimes Jaejoong forgot that the one on the other end is U-Know. It was all about sending and receiving text messages without looking at each other’s faces, so Jaejoong should have expected that. Jaejoong actually forgot what Yunho sounds like since they haven’t had a phone call after the first day Jaejoong got Yunho’s number. Forgetting the fact that he was texting U-Know, Jaejoong sees their relationship as texting friends.

Texting with Yunho actually wasn’t a pleasant thing to do. He doesn’t use emojis or abbreviations, making Jaejoong felt like Yunho was mad at him. It was scary and actually wasn’t fun at all. However, texting with him has been become a regularity for him for several days, so at some point, Jaejoong would find himself fiddling with his cell phone. The other recipient would always be [That person].

Today was the day when he would work part-time in the afternoon and come back home before evening, so Jaejoong arrived home earlier than the other days. Taking off his shoes and entering the house, he passed Ahjoong who was just leaving the house. Looking at her in wonder, Jaejoong asked,

“ _Nuna,_ where are you going in this hour?”

“To see U-Know.”

“Fanmeeting?”

“.......”

At Jaejoong’s question, Ahjoong who was about to open the door stopped her motion.

“How did you know that? Did you check U-Know’s schedule?”

“N-no. I... I heard someone said that earlier when I was working.”

“Oh... Okay... Do you wanna come― Ah. No. Just look over the house.”

“Kay. Safe trip~”

Unlike their everyday thing, the siblings had a rare conversation without throwing profanities at each other. Jaejoong knowing that U-Know is holding a fanmeeting is not because he overheard other people’s conversation. He heard that directly from U-Know. He’d be a fool not to know that. Jaejoong was texting Yunho on his way home, and Yunho said that he was preparing for a fanmeeting.

Entering the house, Jaejoong unwrapped the scarf he had worn around his neck and headed for his room. He was reminded of the text with Yunho, and Ahjoong who left the house. At the sudden flashing thought, Jaejoong grabbed the scarf the he took off before and rushed to the front door. Though he was texting that amazing U-Know without the possibility of meeting him in person, he realized about this privilege of his. Putting on the sneakers he had just taken off, Jaejoong locked the door and came out to call out Ahjoong who had already walked far away.

“ _Nuna_ ~!!Let’s go together~”

Ahhjoong, who was wearing a miniskirt and heels, stopped when he heard a voice coming from behind. Turning her head very slowly with a I-don’t-believe-this expression on her face, she saw Jaejoong who was running towards her with a pretty bright expression on his face. When she saw him running to her side with his long legs, Ahjoong blinked her big eyes and made a face that says she didn't know what to say.

“I said let’s go together. To U-Know’s fan meeting. It’s for free anyway. And I think I could join if it’s with your connections.”

“Oh..? Ah... Um... Yeah... Wait, that’s not it! What are you doing?? Are you really Kim Jaejoong?!”

“W-why?? Can’t I??”

“T-that’s not it. Hmm... Okay... Jaejoong- _ah_... Let’s go together...”

Ahjoong, who was responding to Jaejoong's words in a vague manner, suddenly realized the current situation and pushed him to go. Then, she found her logicality again and took a deep breath. _“_ _The goddess of fortune, who had ruthlessly let go of our hands, seems to have given us her hands again._ _”_

The fanmeeting will be held at the Olympic Stadium on a U-Know scale. On the subway heading there, both Ahjoong and Jaejoong were texting, so they didn't let go of their cell phones. Ahjoong was so excited but she couldn’t make a phone call to YunJae-Making crews next to Jaejoong, so she opted to text until her hands was on fire. Jaejoong on the other hand was texting the very involved person.

[I’m going to your fanmeeting~]

[Huh? Why?]

_“I think it's the first time I've received a reply so quickly. But_ , _the one_ _that short...”_

[Why you ask? TT I’m just following my sister.]

[I see. We won’t be able to meet, though.]

[Meeeet??? Ah... Of course we won’t.]

[I’m doing my make-up now.]

[You can text while having your make-up done?]

[I’m doing it because I can.]

[Ah, okay... -_- But I don’t think I’ve properly looked at your face. I was always so surprised... Honestly, even now I’m not sure I’m texting U-Know. Spit it out, you’re not U-Know right?]

This text was so long that he had to send it twice. But actually, if this was a direct voice call, if this was a face-to-face conversation, the possibility of Jaejoong being able to speak in such a casual way was completely zero. If he really realized that the person who sends and receives his text messages is U-Know, Jaejoong would have been screaming with his fists stuffing his mouth like he did on the first phone call.

He didn’t get a reply on the two texts that he sent. Even so, Jaejoong didn’t complain. Yunho was probably busy with the preparation. Pushing his cell phone into his pocket after a while, Jaejoong turned his head and looked at Ahjoong’s cell phone. Ahjoong, who was passionately typing with her thumb, felt Jaejoong’s gaze on her and hid her cell phone with a surprise.

“Wh-what?”

“Whaaat? Why are you surprised? Who are you texting?”

“What would you do if you know? Do your own thing!”

_“_ _Calm down, Jaejoong-_ ah... _”_ Jaejoong swallowed the retort that was about to come out from his throat. Ahjoong quickly let go of her surprise and started texting again with an endless smile on her mouth. _“_ _Why is the place so far?_ _”_ Jaejoong who had no one to text anymore became bored and leaned back on the chair. _“_ _There are probably only women coming. Aren_ _’_ _t you embarrassed?_ _”_ he asked himself and shook his head and stopped thinking about those things.

 _“_ _I_ _’_ _m not someone weird like a male fan. I_ _’_ _m a friend. Texting friends. Hehehe..._ _”_ _He_ wondered if he’d be able to think of this with Yunho's face in front of him.

While doing his thing alone, he felt a vibration in his pocket. Surprised by the powerful vibration, Jaejoong took out the cell phone. He unlocked his phone and saw Yunho’s text which he didn’t expect at all.

[If you don’t believe me, you can see for yourself later.]

_“_ _Hm? See what? His face? What would I get from doing that, idiot. I wouldn_ _’_ _t even be able to talk to you._ _”_

Arriving at the fan meeting venue, the siblings were run over by people and entered the stadium. Complimenting the fantastic background, Ahjoong (actually, Ahjoong’s close friend), dragged Jaejoong to the VIP section. Plastic chairs are placed in the standing area during concerts. Sticking his tongue out to the back of his oh-so-amazing sister’s head, Jaejoong sat on the chair.

Sitting on the rearmost seat is not unfamiliar to him, but he had to bow greet the women who he wasn’t even happy to meet, and turned his eyes forward. Then, some letters that made him have to look up to be able to read them appeared on the huge screen. They are the rules that they have to obey during the fan meeting. _“_ _I_ _’_ _m doing fine,_ _”_ thought Jaejoong, raising his eyebrows. Then, the last sentence popped up on the screen.

[Texting numbers for the fanmeeting event is ****. Please send a lot of messages.]

“Event?” Jaejoong tilted his head and looked at Ahjoong. Ahjoong then turned her head around and began her explanation.

“Ah, that... A number among those who texted will be chosen and get to follow U-Know for a whole day. Following him to his schedule, riding the van, and such... Why? You interested?”

Ahjoong who was calmly explaining suddenly turned excited, staring at Jaejoong with shiny eyes. Flustered, Jaejoong shook his head in denial.

“The hell I am. But, _Nuna_ , why aren’t you sending a text?”

“Me? Hm... Actually, they already chose someone. Things like texting and drawing lots are bullshit. That’s why texting those message would just be a waste.”

“They chose someone already?”

“This pure cute kid, really. Have you heard of insiders? They have decided on aaalll~ of those things, baby.”

“You’re one too, though.”

“Not to that extent.”

Swallowing an “I thought you’re omnipotent” comment, Jaejoong let out an “I see~” instead and nodded his head. That made Ahjoong pinch his cheek in adoration. He then screamed, “Argh! Are you crazy?!” making Ahjoong quickly retreated her hand.

The writing on the screen stopped, and all the lights on the stadium suddenly turned off. At Jaejoong’s surprised “Huk!”, the girls around him started giggling. He crunched his nose in embarrassment and whispered to Ahjoong who sat next to him.

“What is this? A power ou―”

_“_ _WAAAAAHHH!!_ _”_ Before even able to finish the question, flames suddenly exploded, brightening the surrounding area. U-Know appeared in the middle of that gigantic stage. Jaejoong, who hadn’t been able to blink because his stiffening body, returned to his senses only after hitting his cheek a couple of times.

After calming his surprised heart, Jaejoong began to pay attention to the stage. He definitely sat on the VIP seats because he could see U-Know quite closely. Those people on the second and third floors over there, probably would see him as small as a miniature. At that thought, Jaejoong suddenly felt happy. Focusing his gaze back at U-Know, Jaejoong began to think that until just a while age, he was texting that amazing kid. He was dumbfounded at the thought. He still couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t even a movie...

The show started with the title track of the 3rd album, which Jaejoong have listened on infinite loop just a week ago. After that, that amazing U-Know made Jaejoong fell in love again with his impressive dance line. He even did some ad-lib that wasn’t in the choreography. Whenever that happened, Jaejoong had to close his ears to the deafening scream. The backdancers left the stage after U-Know’s amazing opening performance. Then, he stood on the center of the stage, holding his breath and bowing.

“Hello, KNOW YOUs!! I’m U-Know!!”

At his greeting, everyone went “Kyaaaaaaaahh!!!!” Jaejoong breathed a sigh as he glanced at the Ahjoong who cheered the loudest next to him. _“_ _You_ _’_ _re even calling U-Know_ oppa _with that age..._ _”_

Talking to his fans for a long time, U-Know occasionally showed some performance. He also showed some ballad performances while standing still. Maybe because it was his first time looking at this side of U-Know, Jaejoong, just like Ahjoong, looked at U-Know in admiration. He has thrown that thought of being embarrassed into the trash can a long time back.

Jaejoong was reminded by Yunho’s [You can see for yourself later] text he got when he was on the subway. He then began to look thoroughly at U-Know’s face. Who knows their gaze might meet. He might send some kind of signal when they do, so Jaejoong began to expect that. But that didn't happen even until the fanmeeting was over and all of his expectations were fading away.

“Jaejoong- _ah_.”

After U-Know’s last stage, and his figure disappeared to the backstage, Ahjoong called Jaejoong’s name in a calm manner.

“Hm?”

“U-Know is hella cool isn’t he?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ll become his male fan from now on?”

“Nah.”

Ahjoong who was expecting another “Yes” answer frowned, turned her head towards Jaejoong, and tried to shoot back a retort, but had to calm herself down thanks to U-Know who came back to the stage to draw the event. For the first time that day, the stadium which was rampant with tension became quiet thanks to U-Know, who came to the center of the stage with a paper note.

“Everyone! You’ve waited for long, right?”

“Yeeeeeah!!!” everyone cheered. But the shouts quickly died down when U-Know lifted the paper that contained the number and name of the lucky person drawn. U-Know grinned and began to unfold the half-folded paper. The sound of tens thousands of fans gulping their saliva sounded really loud. Probably all but a few who are familiar with the corruption in this world participated in the event. Unlike other fans, Ahjoong, Jaejoong and their companions, were not interested in U-Know’s winner announcement, and chose to chat with each other instead.

Yunho, who had completely opened the note, once again smiled and opened his mouth.

“0126. Kim Jaejoong- _nim_. I need you to dedicate your day to me.”

As soon as the name and number that Yunho read was engraved on the large screen behind the stage, there was a moment of silence. Not long after, there was a loud roar filled with excitement and doubt. The screams were probably from YunJae-Making members and the doubts were questions about a man's name being announced. Anyway, there were people who were more shocked than Jaejoong himself, who was directly involved.

“J-J-J-Jae-Jae-Jajoong- _ah_... Y-you... D-did you s-send the t-text...?”

“Nooooo?!?!?! Do you think I’m crazy??!! What is this even?!! I don’t even know how to react to this?! Are you sure you’re not the one sending the text?? Ah, no, but _Nuna_ , you said the insiders are the one doing this?? Aren’t you the one using connections?? Trying to play a prank on me?!!”

“No. It really wasn’t our doing this time, Jaejoong- _ah_...”

Closing her eyes and massaging her forehead, Ahjoong tried to collect the scattered cells in her body. Like... How did this even happen? She doesn’t even have the energy to feel excited. An incident as big as this... Turning her head slightly to look at the YunJae-Making operators, they were just as speechless, blinking their eyes with faces full of bewilderment.

The only person who was smiling in this situation was Jung Yunho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> "This text was so long that he had to send it twice."  
> The original text had 77 characters in total. I'm not sure how many characters are the limit for older Korean mobile phone, but (from googling) it says that there's 80 characters limitation fore current phones. I'm guessin it was shorter than that before.


	9. YJ Project - Chapter 09.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re so funny. You feel like two different persons when you text me and when you call me. Now that you’re sitting next to me, it’s even worse.”

Popular portal site real-time popular search keyword:

  1. [Kim Jaejoong]
  2. [U-Know fanmeeting event]
  3. [Yunho Relentless High Kick]
  4. [YunJae-Making]
  5. [Merim’s identity]
  6. [U-Know fanmeeting]



.........

The next day was a mess on the internet. Especially in YunJae-Making cafe, boasting their huge numbers of subscribers, and screenshots of portal sites popular search words. Even KNOW YOUs who were not members of YunJae-Making paid attention to Jaejoong who got picked for the event. People who were not KNOW YOUs were also surprised at the fact that the winner was a man.

Since the announcement of the winners until they returned home, Ahjoong had to come back with Jaejoong’s help. Of course, Jaejoong who was the main star was not in his right mind, but somehow Ahjoong’s sense fled far away to another planet. But that wasn’t the only day. The next day, Ahjoong had the expression of someone who just won a lottery.

Firstly, she had to check on YunJae-Making...

[Wow... Thank you, God- _nim_ ]

[Wow... Thank you, Buddha- _nim_ ]

[Wow... Thank you, Allah- _nim_ ]

[Wow... Thank you, Merim- _nim_ ]...?

Wow... They’re all starting with similar messages.

[Jaejoong- _oppa_ also went to the fan meeting? What’s this...?]

[The pic from the broadcast station wasn’t just a pic after all! As expected, Jaejoong- _nim_ is a KNOW YOU♡]

[But how did Jaejoong- _nim_ get chosen among that many people? What kind of coincidence is this?]

[This is fate]

[Don’t tell me that Jaejoong used some connections...]

...were some of the many comments about the incident. Some pictures of Jaejoong from the fanmeeting were spread out. Ahjoong who had come to her sense (actually she went even crazier) was clicking her mouse like crazy, reading the comments about the incident. No matter how she sees it, this is not a dream... Definitely. She doesn’t know how, but Jaejoong got the privilege of spending a whole day with U-Know!

No matter how much she looked, the reason how Jaejoong became the lucky one still remained as a mystery. The important thing was that the main character was Kim Jaejoong. It was already a mystery since Jaejoong decided to join the fanmeeting, let alone the lucky draw thingy... That was what Ahjoong thought but she was happy nonetheless.

Ahjoong took her eyes off the monitor and looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost 9 a.m. Jaejoong had to go to U-Know’s office at 11. It's almost time to wake Jaejoong up and make him look all pretty. Feeling good, she got up from his seat, and turned off the computer.

Meanwhile, Jaejoong was already awake since a while ago, and is now texting like crazy. Last night, Jaejoong was so out of his mind that he couldn't contact the other, and Yunho didn't text Jaejoong either. However, as soon as Jaejoong woke up in the morning, he realized the emergency situation and pushed up the slider of his phone.

[Hey!!!!!!!!]

[What?]

[So you really are U-Know...]

[Until when are you gonna doubt it?]

[You knew what was about to happen, so that’s why you said that yesterday?]

[Yeah.]

In fact, Jaejoong was texting with excitement hidden behind his anger, while Yunho was just giving short answers. At that, Jaejoong got even more pissed. Firstly, Jaejoong's name was revealed to those tens of thousands of U-Know’s fans. It’s not like Jaejoong was a complete commoner, even though he’s not a celebrity either, but he has no intention of gaining more fans and recognition. But this kind of situation happened... It was obvious that the internet is exploding right now. But U-Know, who really was the root of all the incidents, doesn't show any signs of care, answering his texts with a simple [Yeah.]... Jaejoong was extremely frustrated.

[Idk. Not going. Do it yourself.]

[Why?]

[Why you ask?? Do you think I’m crazy enough to spend a day with....]

That was how he typed that, but before he could finish what he had to say, his cell phone began to vibrate a long vibration. Surprised, he looked into the screen where he was typing... He got a call from [That person]. Actually, the call is already connected...

“H-hello...?”

< “Why didn’t you wanna come?” >

“Uh... That... Um... Ah... I-I’m... That’s...”

It was the first time since the first day that they had a direct exchange of voices. So it was natural for Jaejoong to shrink back. As expected, SMS and phone calls are of different dimensions. Before he knew it, Jaejoong was on his knees again, with his face shoved against the bed.

< “What? Why are you speaking formally again?” >

“Uh... That’s... U-Know- _nim_...”

< “Pffft... What is U-Know- _nim_ even. You weren’t like that when we texted.” >

“That’s why... It’s... Talking through texts and talking directly is not the same...”

< “Okay, okay. Got it. Anyway, if you didn’t come, I’ll pick you up. Think over it.” >

“Yes...”

The call hung up. It wasn't that sweet and polite way of speaking like on the first call. He was talking to him just like how friends would, meanwhile Jaejoong was no different from that day. At that coercive tone, Jaejoong unwittingly gave a very polite answer of "Yes." But after hanging up, he covered his mouth with his hands and screamed for a while. After that, he started texting again as if nothing had happened. The difference between phone calls and text messages is really huge after all. Where did the overly polite Jaejoong go and how did the frenzied texting begin again? Actually, he was afraid that Yunho would call again.

“Jaeeejoong- _aaah_ ~~”

Ahjoong entered Jaejoong's room with a sparkly flowery smile, and stopped her movement after looking at Jaejoong who was lying on his stomach, typing on his phone like crazy. “Oh you’re already awake,” she said with a smile before sauntering over to Jaejoong’s closet and opened the door. Jaejoong then turned his body towards Ahjoong.

“ _Nuna,_ what are you doing?”

“Well what else~ You have to get ready, no?”

“Yeah, so why do you care?”

“You’re asking me why I care?”

“......”

She cares... but that’s a little bit too much. Anyway, he actually wanted to shout “Yeah it’s none of your business!” but he held back, opting to finish typing the text instead. Typing, [Hey!! What are you!! Doing things however you like!!], he was gonna send the message, but he stopped his hand. Is it okay to send this? No matter what the situation, he definitely would have to go anyway... What if U-Know got angry at him after reading the text? After thinking this far, Jaejoong just dropped his phone in a sullen mood. Sighing, he glanced at Ahjoong who stood next to him, already finished choosing clothes for him to wear.

“Here. Wear this.”

“That’s my mooo~st favorite one though?”

“That’s why you should wear it!”

“Why?”

Instead of answering his question, Ahjoong shrugged her shoulders. He took the clothes with him went to the bathroom to wash up.

After a long bath, and finished wearing his clothes, he’s all ready for the day. Ahjoong was dusting off his shoulders, making Jaejoong think, _“_ _This woman is nuts._ _”_ Jaejoong squatted in front of the porch to put on his shoes. He was gonna leave, ignoring Ahjoong who was tapping on his shoulders from behind. Suddenly, he heard noises from behind. “Huh?” He turned around and...

“Take care....”

“ _N-nuna._ You’re crying?”

“Who’s crying...”

Ahjoong was shedding the tears in her eyes with a big smile on her lips. She looked so happy, but what's with the tears?

“Why? Is it that unfair that I got picked? You wanna go instead?”

“Are you crazy??? That’s not it. Just go quick~”

“ _Nunaaa..._ ”

After roughly wiping away the tears with her hand, Ahjoong smiled again and hurried back to her room. Worried, Jaejoong followed her into her room instead of putting on his shoes. He found her sitting down next to her bed with her knees in her arms, crying loudly.

“What is it really?? Should I just not go...? I’m okay with not going...”

“What nonsense! Go quick! Leave now!”

Screaming heavily at Jaejoong's words, Ahjoong rose from her position and pushed him out of the door. At Jaejoong who was whining, asking about her weird antics, she screamed at Jaejoong to “Go now! You’re late!” before shutting the door with a loud bang.

_“_ _.....Can I scream now....?_ _”_

“Aaaaaaargggggghhhh!!! Fuck!!!! I’m so fucking happy!!!!! Uwaaaahhhh what is happening, seriously!!!! Uwoooohhh!!!! Jaejoong- _ah_!!! I hope you get good results!!!!!! Uoooooohhhh!!!!”

_“Jaejoong_ _-ah_ _, tears that come out when you are really happy are_ _genuine_ _tears.”_

* * *

_“_ _Should I just run away?_ _”_ Jaejoong thought, but he ended up walking towards the direction of U-Know’s office. After getting off the bus, nearing the office building, he wondered why there are so many people. He was reminded of the nightmare that was going to the broadcast station with Ahjoong. According to Ahjoong, getting into the building in this situation would probably result in torn clothes at best, and a crushed body at worst. Before anyone recognized him, Jaejoong quickly turned back and headed to a quieter place. Leaning his back on the wall, he began to text.

[I’m on the way. Where do I get in?]

[You listen well, eh, Kim Jaejoong.]

As he tried to reply with his nose all crunched up, he heard a klaxon from his side. _“_ _Urgh, so annoying,_ _”_ he thought while trying to proceed on sending the message, before another loud sound entered his ears again. Jaejoong turned his head, covering his ears, glaring at source of the sound. _“_ _Nice car,_ _”_ he thought as he lowered his hands, watching the car’s window sliding down.

“.......”

His eyes were wide open and his fingers were frozen, pointing to the guy in the car. His mouth opened and closed several times, trying to form a word. The guy in the car gave him a look that was clearly telling him to come closer. His legs became weak and he supported himself on the wall with his hand. This time the guy made a gesture telling him to come to him with his hand. Well, what can he do?

“Come here quick! Before they find us!!”

He could hear Yunho’s voice. Only then did Jaejoong come to his senses and stopped every other thoughts, walking as fast as he could towards the car, being wary of the coercive voice. As he opened the passenger's door while blinking frantically, Yunho leaned towards the passenger's side and grabbed Jaejoong's arm, who was hesitating. Jaejoong got into the passenger seat, and as soon as the door closed, the car started to drove off.

As if the his soul had escaped, Jaejoong kept looking at his front, blinking three times a second. After doing that for a long time, Jaejoong was startled and jolted his shoulders when he heard Yunho's voice next to him. Yunho chuckled at his antics.

“You really came, huh. I thought you wouldn’t.”

“T-that... Uh... Um....”

“Heheh. Hey, Kim Jaejoong. Look at me.”

“Uhhh..... Um... I... Uhh.....”

“Ah, so frustrating. Hey.”

“Yes?”

At the low tone and fading laugh, Jaejoong let out a startled “Yes?” and turned his head to look at Yunho. As soon as their eyes met, Jaejoong went “Hik!” in surprise and turned his gaze towards the window again. He came here with some effort and is already sitting in the car with Yunho, but his brain still felt like it was floating on the clouds. What kind of situation is this...

“You’re so funny. You feel like two different persons when you text me and when you call me. Now that you’re sitting next to me, it’s even worse.”

“Ah... Um... That...”

“Ah, stop it. Don’t talk.”

“Yes? Okay...”

Yunho, sighed irritably while driving, and flexed his own head. Jaejoong crouched his body in fear at the sight. Suddenly Yunho pulled the car over on a roadside. Letting out another sound of surprise, Jaejoong took hold of the safety belt (and just then did he put on the seat belt). Yunho lifted one of his eyebrows and turned to Jaejoong.

“Hey. Why are you being like this?”

“Yes? Ah... I didn’t....”

“Look. The one you’re texting is Jung Yunho, and the one sitting next to you right now is also Jung Yunho. Just do as you’re told, seriously.”

“Ah....”

What was that “Ah” for?? For just realizing the situation? Jaejoong bit on his lips, nodding his head as if he just knew of that fact now. At that, Yunho got angry again and put his hand on Jaejoong’s shoulder. And then...

“I don’t care if you don’t want to believe that. I pulled those stunts at the fansign and at the fanmeeting because I wanted to get close to you. Do you think I’m not gonna get angry if you’re gonna be like this all the time?”

“I- I understand.”

“Drop that formal speech!”

Jung Yunho exploded boisterously. Jaejoong was surprised, his eyes wide open when Yunho grabbed his shoulder. Soon after, Jaejoong frowned his forehead. Slowly closing and opening his eyes, Jaejoong sighed and opened his mouth.

“Seriously?? Who do you think wouldn’t get angry because they don’t know how to? Hey, U-Know. Why don’t you try being a commoner. Try meeting someone as big and as amazing as U-Know, that you only see on TV appearing right in front of you, saying “Hey, you.” How wouldn’t I get shocked??! I’m not even an alien. I’m a human! And I can’t act the same when I’m texting you and when I’m in front of you. Do you think it’s all the same when I don’t have to see your face or hear your voice when we’re texting?!?!”

“........”

“........”

_“_ _Did I finally commit a mistake?_ _”_ Jaejoong shouted when his shoulder got pushed, screaming as if the pile of complaints that he got had all exploded. Yunho was staring at him, blinking his eyes, dumbfounded by the sudden change in personality, as if Jaejoong was a totally different person. Jaejoong’s face was all red, as he tried to bury them on his hands, thinking that he just caused an uproar. The silence lasted for quite long. _“What if he open_ _ed_ _the door and kicked_ _me_ _out in the middle of the road?”_ Jaejoong worried, as he made some space between his fingers to peek at Yunho. Finally, the the silence broke and he heard a laugh from Yunho.

“Hey, so you have quite a temper too, huh. I didn’t know that.”

Yunho smiled brightly, not letting out a huge laugh, but his shoulders shook in between his laughs. Then Jaejoong's hands crept down from his face, and Yunho put his hand back on Jaejoong’s shoulder.

“We never had a proper meeting, huh. It actually started from a fight.... If we’re going to be like this forever, don’t even bother using formal speech, okay?”

“Oh.. Okay...”

After witnessing Yunho’s actual angry state, the Yunho in front of him felt less scary. That’s why he unconsciously nodded while saying “Okay”. At the sight, Yunho ruffled Jaejoong’s hair once and began to drive again.

“But... What kind of schedule are you going to right now? Why aren’t we in the van?”

Finally warmed up, Jaejoong started the conversation first. Yunho was a bit surprised at that. He glanced at Jaejoong and spoke,

“Why? You wanna ride the van?”

“Um... I’m just curious.”

“If you want, we can ride that in the evening. But you have to give up about following the schedule thing.”

“Why?”

“I canceled everything.”

He was about to ask why again, but the sudden turn of the car forced Jaejoong to shut his mouth. Also, this guy, not only on stage but also his driving figure looks just like a pictorial. He was gonna take out the digital camera that Ahjoong forced into his bag, but he managed to suppress his urge to take Yunho’s picture when the latter turned the steering wheel. Jaejoong chose to hold onto the safety belt instead.

Once he opened his mouth, Jaejoong was able to talk naturally to Yunho. Driving around in Yunho’s modish car and somehow managed to avoid people’s gaze, they even went to the university Jaejoong attended (there wasn’t that many people since they’re on vacation) and the internet cafe.

At the internet cafe, Yunho told him that he had nothing to do after going around the internet, so Jaejoong taught him how to play games. Yunho, who had never played a game properly because he was so busy, said he was having fun playing the game that Jaejoong taught him and played like crazy. He fell into the game without realizing the time. Looking at the sulky Yunho, Jaejoong told him to download the game once he got home. After comforting him, Jaejoong put the sunglasses, which had been taken off and placed next to the computer, back on Yunho’s face.

When they got out of the internet cafe, it was already dark outside. Jaejoong looked at the clock on the screen of his cell phone and said it was time for his part-time job. Yunho then said, “I canceled all my schedules, what are you talking about? You should cancel yours too.” No matter how familiar he come to feel around Yunho, that high-command, coercive tone always got him. So, Jaejoong immediately called someone to take over his shift.

“What do you wanna do now?”

“It’s already late, so it’s time for the most important thing.”

“What?”

“Just get in first.”

At Yunho's words, Jaejoong, who sat in the passenger seat, was amazed that he was able to talk to Yunho like this and put on his seat belt. Jaejoong looked at Yunho who got into the driver’s seat and started driving. _“_ _This guy is shooting for a pictorial again..._ _”_

After long, Yunho's car arrived at a place that was an essential and also the highlight course of a friendship. It was a bar for drinking and talking. In Jaejoong's case, he usually just goes to a bar or a chicken rib house, and drank some soju. This U-Know guy though, he took Jaejoong to an expensive bar, making him look like some kind of amazing human being. Since it’s his first time coming to a bar with this kind of atmosphere, Jaejoong was a bit surprised and followed Yunho from behind.

 _“_ _What the hell is this?_ _”_ Yunho, who he thought would order a cocktail with a long, English-speaking, cool name, was ordering a draft beer and some snacks. Somehow a little bit disappointed, _“_ _They_ _’_ _re gonna end up inside his mouth anyway,_ _”_ _,_ he nodded to himself and placed his arm on the table, with his hand supporting his chin. 

“But you drive. Is it okay for you to drink?”

“My manager’s house is around the area. I can just ask him to pick me up.”

“Aha, I see...”

Staring at Yunho who was taking his sunglasses off and putting them on the table, without realizing, Jaejoong let his mouth slightly open. He can’t help but admire the sight. What kind of human look like that? The fact that right now he was sitting less than 1 meter in front of a big star was still shocking to him. It's unrealistic enough to be made into a real movie, but it's actually happening to him. Blinking his eyes, looking at that sculpture of a face, Jaejoong suddenly remembered what Yunho had said before.

“Oh, but why are you doing this? Why do you wanna get close to me?”

“Oh? That...? You don’t really have to know.”

“Say what now?”

“Just because. No reason.”

Yunho shrugged his shoulders and looks down at the order set on the table. As he held a cup full of beer that looked refreshing just by looking at it, Yunho rushed him to a toast. Upon hearing the disappointing answer, Jaejoong reluctantly lifted his cup and bumped them onto Yunho’s.

“Kim Jaejoong.”

“Hm?”

“Stay by my side for long.”

“Ah... Okay.”

He doesn't know if that was something he should be hearing from someone he just got close to for less than a day. The somehow sincere remark made Jaejoong answer him with a nod of his head.

And so their real relationship began.


	10. YJ Project - Chapter 10.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stop with that "Jaejoong-ah~!" Since when did you even call me like that? You usually say Kim Jaejoong or Dog Jaejoong.”

“...Yep. Around this time tomorrow, U-Know will go to uncle's club with all the agency staffs. That’s why, send a couple of girls to go into that room. Tell them specifically to stick to U-Know. Well, you don't really have to them for them to do that, though... Don’t forget to give him a lot of drinks.... Yeah. I already took care of the camera so you don’t have to worry.... Why am I doing this you ask...?”

Ryuan smirked after hanging up the call. _“_ _U-Know... You picked the wrong person to mess with. How dare you treat me like a crazy bitch? Just you wait. I'm going to set you up. The fastest popular star to disappear and forgotten... Try experiencing it._ _”_

* * *

After Jaejoong spent a day with Yunho, Ahjoong prepared herself to cry when she sees her brother's face. Jaejoong is currently sitting to her opposite, having a meal. Instead of fiddling with her chopsticks, Ahjoong began to chew on her lips. At that, Jaejoong placed his spoon on the table and frowned.

“Why are you like this, seriously? I can’t even eat in peace.”

“No Jaejoong- _ah~_ Just eat quickly.”

“Stop with that Jaejoong- _ah~_! Since when did you even call me like that? You usually say Kim Jaejoong or Dog Jaejoong.”

“Eeeh... No way...”

Urghh, he’d go crazy at this rate. Ahjoong who was usually so annoying even when she was being kind is acting _kind_ to Jaejoong. That day when she threw profanities around along with the TV remote and sofa cushions was much better. Feeling the taste of food becoming bland, Jaejoong scratched his head and got up from the table.

“I can’t eat like this. I’m not eating.”

“Why?? C’mon take a seat and eat~”

“Urgh, stop adding that wavy mark every time you talk!”

Ahjoong laughed again when she saw Jaejoong talking while almost crying. Not a chuckle or a smirk, but a full-blown smile. Seriously creepy. Shaking his head, Jaejoong pushed back the chair and went out of the kitchen. _“_ You shouldn’t eat so little~”He could hear Ahjoong calling him again. He started getting goosebumps all over his body. Usually, even though he only ate a little, she’d be more like “Stop eating so much this pig bastard”. What is she even trying to pull now?

Pouting his lips, he went to his room, blowing a breath to his bangs. Then he looked at his messy desk and went to clean it up. He cleaned up the pile of books and found a piece of paper. It was U-Know’s sign that he received before. It was within less than two weeks that he received this shocking signature and ate outside with the owner of the signature as friends. Jaejoong opened up the crumpled paper once again, astonished at the dreamlike reality. Then he took out a plastic file from the bookshelf and put the paper in there neatly.

It was barely two times that he met Yunho face to face. The first one was in the waiting room, and the second one was a week ago when he was picked as the event’s winner. When he went to the fansign, he shut his eyes so tight that he didn’t get the chance to look at Yunho’s face. Why does he felt so friendly towards him even though he had only met him for such a short time? Now, he wondered if he should start looking at him as Jung Yunho instead of U-Know. He was so immersed in the thoughtful moo... Until the door bursts open.

Feeling as if he just heard a sound of a broken glass in his head, Jaejoong frowned and looked back. Then, Ahjoong, was holding a spoon in her mouth, poked her head into his room. “What?” asked Jaejoong, which was responded by Ahjoong who took the spoon out of her mouth with bright eyes.

“You really aren’t gonna eat?”

“Stop bothering me, _please_...”

“Okay... But, you really didn’t get his number that day?”

“I already told you several times! I didn’t!”

“Tch.”

He lied again. After clicking her tongue, Ahjoong closed the door and disappeared from Jaejoong’s sight. Jaejoong then went to wash his face. After that day, Ahjoong kept asking if he got Yunho’s phone number and where did they go to. Every time, Jaejoong would tell lies because telling the truth was too bothersome. Especially about the phone number... He really had to keep that one fact well-hidden.... Just in case, Jaejoong put a password on his phone contacts and SMS.

He felt really sorry towards Ahjoong who was a fan, but he needed to kept the loyalty he had between friends who he just had for several days.

* * *

Jaejoong learned how to play the piano when he was really young. It was because his older sister, Ahjoong, majored in piano, but it was also because he’d feel like he’s a big person when he played the piano.

Ahjoong went out to teach, and his parents were also out. Jaejoong went to take a seat in front of the piano in the living room. He could see the dust piling when he opened the key cover. A woman who majored in piano but never even touched the piano... He badmouthed his sister while opening the lid. After pulling out the chair and sat down, he felt that it has been a really long time since the last time he sat there. The white and black keys somehow felt unfamiliar.

 ** ***ding***** He pressed on one key. It's a little out of tune. Maybe because it hasn't been used for a long time, but Jaejoong still smiled at the sound. He thought he hasn’t sat in front of the piano properly since he entered college. Pursing his lips, Jaejoong turned the music sheets that was place on top of the piano. There was a lot of books with a hard-to-read composer’s names that his sister bought. There was also a New Age music book that Jaejoong had bought. Jaejoong pulled out one of the books and put it on the pedestal.

“What should I play...”he wondered for a while. He stopped flipping the pages on the music sheet that made him feel better when he was stressed out from studying like crazy, when he was in his last year of high school. It has been a while since he played the piece, so he was slow and got the note wrong once in a while. Even so, the feeling of playing the piano itself made him feel so comfortable... He could feel that feeling again... The feeling as if he had become an amazing person.

By the middle of the piece, something suddenly began to pass through Jaejoong's head. He wanted to let someone hear this piece.... But who? He stopped his fingers and fell into a thought. But even when he thought of it so hard, no face came to his mind. While he was lost in thought, a gush of wind blew in, and Jaejoong turned back to look at the music sheet. If he wanted someone to hear this, then he needed to practice more.

Jaejoong started practicing the song again at a slower pace from the beginning. Thinking that he had to practice the piece regularly from now on, he focused his attention to the piano. Then, his cell phone, which had been placed in an empty space at the end of the keyboard, began to have seizures (read: vibration). Jaejoong, who had been focused onto the soft music for quite a long time, was startled by the sudden harsh sound of the piano keys he accidentally pressed on, rubbed on his startled chest and picked up his cell phone.

Checking his phone screen, as expected, it was Yunho. He had changed [That person] into [Him]. Saving his number as [Him] felt a little bit off-putting, but he doesn't have any other names he could save the contact into. At least that was what his excuse is.

“Hello?”

< “What are you doing?” >

“Nothing.”

< “Turn on the TV now.”>

“Why?”

< “I’m on it.” >

_“_ _This punk has a quite severe prince disease._ _”_ After Jaejoong had gotten closer to Yunho, Yunho often called or texted him, and bragged about his appearance on TV or if some pictures were posted on the internet. Every time he got a call, Yunho would say those words so bluntly, but it doesn’t sound that unfriendly, so he let those go. Jaejoong got up from the piano seat and went to turn the TV on. When he turned to the channel that Yunho was talking about, there was Yunho’s performance with his new follow-up song.

He had listened to that song when he bought U-Know’s album before, so he’s quite familiar with it. Even so, it felt different when he saw U-Know performing it. It wasn't a powerful song with a lot of electrical sounds like the title song. The song was a bit softer, but it was still a dance song. The choreography is also less intense than the title song’s. Perhaps that was why Yunho's singing felt like him having a conversation with the people standing in front of him, because it looked so stable and calm.

Jaejoong didn’t hang up on the call until the stage was over. And Yunho who was on the other end also didn’t hang up. When Yunho’s figure disappeared after the stage was over, Jaejoong could hear Yunho's voice again from the other side of the phone.

< “How was it?” >

“...Dunno.”

< “That cool, huh?” >

“Bleh.”

< “Heheh...” >

_“_ _Do you really have to say that from your own mouth?_ _”_ When Yunho fell into his world of self-praise again, Jaejoong told him off and he could hear the sound of Yunho’s laugh. At that, Jaejoong also smiled slightly. When they were having a phone call, he could almost always hear Yunho laughing. Yunho, who didn't even show much laughter even in places where he needed to pretend like TV shows, laughed a lot and that was unfamiliar to Jaejoong.

< “What are you doing today?” >

“Me? Um... Dunno. Maybe I’ll meet a friend later?”

< “What about work?” >

“Today is my day off. What about you? Another schedule?”

< “No schedules, but there’s a company dinner. I really hate stuffs like that but they said I need to attend it now. Until now I’ve always skipped on them.” >

“Aaah... Where to?”

< “Just at a place where they usually held it.” >

When talking about the agency, Yunho’s words became longer. He must have hated it that much...

“So you’ll go out to drink?”

< “They’d do that for the second round. I’ve always skipped on those but it’ll be hard this time.” >

“Oh... Well, don’t hate it that much. Just enjoy it and eat well~”

Talking to Yunho, who was beginning to get irritated, made Jaejoong smile. Since when had he become like this? He didn’t even get on his knees and press his hand against his mouth to prevent screaming anymore. Rather, it felt like he’s persuading his younger brother. Jaejoong couldn’t help but laugh at the fast progress.

He thought maybe that was why he wanted to let him listen to his piano.

* * *

Ahjoong and the gang finally met up after a long time. Aside from celebrating YunJae's growth, it was also the birthday of one of the members.

Each and every one of the member gathered were of great people, and that was they could basically do everything. There was someone with a broadcast station background, a multimillionaire’s daughter, and even someone who had a gangster boyfriend. Among them, it was Kim Ahjoong, who had Kim Jaejoong as his younger brother, who had the greatest background.

The girls came to the club and had a lot of fun on the stage, and then led their tired bodies into the room. The reason they got the best room in the club was also because of their connections. They came into the room, chattering noisily.

“Did y’all see that guy earlier? God, how did he get that look?!”

“Hahaha, leave it, _eonni~_ We live while looking at guys like U-Know, so you can’t help but have a higher standard.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying?”

Young plopped on the soft sofa, trying to hold the eyelashes that was about to fall off. She shared a word of sympathy to Mian who laughed at the mention of U-Know, and picked up a canned beer off the table. Ahjoong who showed no sign of tiredness, went to the karaoke machine and ran excitedly to pick up the microphone.

“Hey, aren’t you tired after playing around so much?”

“Even when I'm exhausted, my passion for singing will never die~ It’s been a while. Wanna sing U-Know's song?"

“You nuts? Imma sing “My Love”~!!”

Talking from time to time, Ahjoong sang “Maria” enthusiastically and spent a lot of fun together talking about U-Know's album.

“Anyway, so Jaejoong really didn’t contact U-Know at all after that day?”

“Contact, huh... Eh, but isn’t the fact that they knew each other already so satisfying?”

“Well, yes of course!! Now that they do, it’s only a matter of time before they got involved with each other~ Let’s make the next plan soon.”

“Yeah! But for today, let’s just have some fun~!”

“For YunJae!!!!”

They made a toast with the can of beers. 90% of their topic that day was YunJae. The rest was about their lives. After drinking for long, one of them stood from their seat.

“Lee Mian, where are you going?”

“Toilet for a bit. Have fun~”

“The snacks will disappear before you come back.”

“ _Eonni!_ Don’t eat it all!”

Mian left the group who laughed boisterously. Walking down the hallway and entering the toilet which smells like cigarette, she saw most of the women there were fixing their makeup. Frowning and crunching her nose at the smell, she put her hand to cover her nose and fanned her face from the smoke. The woman who smoked stared at her, snorted and smirked, and occasionally cursed when Mian walked past her.

After finishing her business and washing her hands cleanly, Mian came out of the bathroom, shaking off her wet hands. With her hair falling down until her waist, slightly longer than her hand, she walked back to the room and with the clicking sound of her high-heels. Before entering her room, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the end of the hallway. Thinking, _“_ _Did they come as a group?_ _”_ Mian put her hand on the doorknob, readying herself to get in. As soon as she was about to turn the doorknob, the source of the footsteps, the crowd, appeared.

Mian, who stopped trying to open the door, was watching the big crowd. The reason was because somehow they all looked familiar. Like the first old man that showed up, then the young people who followed behind.... and also some very good-looking people...

“Oh?!”

She met his gaze. The man who held his heads straight, following the pack of people into their room.... U-Know.

After holding the handle of the door for a long time, she got her sense back and rushed into the room. The women who initially didn’t care about Mian’s appearance, turned their heads one by one when they sensed something strange.

“What’s with you?”

“.....Fwah....”

“The hell’s up with her?”

“U... U-Know...”

“U-Know? You even sang “Spokes Man” earlier, you brat~”

Holding her dizzy head, Mian managed to hold herself up against the wall. “What’s up, hey??” Looking at Mian’s expression, Ahjoong began to harden her face as well. She looked really unwell. Did she get in a fight in the toilet or something...?

“That’s not it... Aaah what do I dooo.....?”

“Hey, Lee Mian. Snap out of it~ Did some bitch slap you?”

“Nooo..... Seriously! U-Know.... U-Know..!!”

“Yeah, so what’s with U-Know? Did he came into the next room or something?”

“E-exactly!!”

Did she drink too much? She must be out of her mind.


	11. YJ Project - Chapter 11.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Kim Jaejoong. I got drafted.”

Her legs were shaking, her head was dizzy and felt like it’s about to explode, her mouth stuttered, unable to say what she wanted to say. Mian was frustrated to death. She needs to tell the others properly, but they won’t even believe her. She slowly bent her knees, took a deep breath and sat on the chair.

“ _Eonnis_... Everyone...”

“Looks like she really got beaten up. What’s wrong?”

“Just listen to me. I’m being serious. Hufft... What will you do if it's true when you don't believe it?"

“Hey, Ahjoong- _ah_. Put her to sleep.”

“If it’s not true, I’ll throw away my last name.”

“Where to? The middle of the road?”

“Goddammit!! If I’m lying, I’ll stop liking YunJae!!!!”

“.......You’re... for real?”

That’s it. YunJae is the only way to convince these people after all. At Mian’s sincere words, they all paused. Now that they believe her, they started to widen their eyes in surprise. Everyone, including Ahjoong, was unable to form any words, opening and closing their mouths. If someone brought up about quitting YunJae, they must be serious. For several seconds, all they did was swallow their saliva. At Young’s words, they clenched on their sweaty palms.

“Everyone, stay calm. According to Mian’s words, U-Know is in the next room... Lee Mian, he’s here with his agency colleagues, right?”

“Yeah! There are some people that I’ve seen several times before. His manager is also here.”

“Huft... As we all know, the doors here are magic mirrors, so we can’t peek inside. However! We can do it if someone walked out of the door. At situations like when someone will have to take a call and goes to the bathroom. We shouldn’t break into the room, though. Because we’re all well-mannered KNOW YOUs.”

“True true!”

At the eldest of all, Young’s explanations, they all nodded in understanding. Especially when she talked about the well-mannered part, everyone furiously nodded.

“So now, we’ll listen to some more about the situation from Mian. Malsook, you’re gonna watch to see if U-Know comes out of the room or not. Stick close to the door. You know you can't miss it, right?”

“Okay!”

With shaky legs that has gradually regained stability, Mian sat in the middle of the group, and retold what happened right from she left the bathroom, until she met gaze with U-Know. Malsook who never took her eyes off of the outside of the door, pricked up one of her ear to listen to Mian’s story. She was looking at U-Know’s room’s door when she saw someone on the end of the hallway. With flashy clothes (which actually doesn’t suit them at all), the two women walked to her direction, swaying their hips. Did some kind of CEO came or...

* * *

“What’s with you? You’re paying for all the food?”

“Hey! I’ve been saying that for so long but there was no time~”

“But those were lies though...”

“...Asshole. Anyway what would we do at this hour if we don’t go to eat? There wasn’t that much restaurant open.”

Jungwoo said, tapping Jaejoong’s shoulder. He sat in front of Jaejoong who laughed while choosing the menu. When Jungwoo took out a cigarette as soon as he sat out of habit, Jaejoong quickly snatched the cigarette out of fright. Jungwoo was surprised, widening his eyes.

“You crazy? This is a non-smoking area.”

“Ah... Scary how that had become a habit.”

“What a nice habit. Can’t you quit?”

“If it was that easy I would’ve done so more than 10 times.”

Taking the cigarette that Jaejoong gave back to him, Jungwoo put them back into the pack. He took a sip of water from the table to fill the emptiness in his mouth. He gargled the water in his cheeks before swallowing. For some reason, Jungwoo's expression seems a little subdued today.

“Is Ahjoong _-nunim_ doing well?”

“ _Nuna_? Well... She’s fine. Seems a little bit crazy, though.”

“Eh, why?”

“I’m telling you she’s totally out of it now. Like super creepy. She was suddenly so kind, taking care of me and all, going “Jaejoong- _ah~_ ” Goddamned gross. Blergh.”

“Spitting nonsense now, bastard?”

Looking at Jaejoong who pretended to throw up, Jungwoo lifted his fist and chuckled.

“Anyway, you still want my sis?”

“No, but somehow these days, she replied to my texts. I’m so freaking moved.”

“You’re so easy. What’s so good about that kind of person anyway.”

Jaejoong twisted his lips, as if his teeth were trembling, shook his head a couple of times, and took a sip of water, following Jungwoo. They stopped their conversation to look at the arriving food. The cell phone in his pocket then vibrated shortly. Stopping his hand that was about to feed his mouth some food with the spoon, Jaejoong took out his phone. As expected, it was a text message from the only one person he had been texting these days. It was [Him]- _nim_.

[They took me to drink in a club room. I hate this.]

After checking the message, Jaejoong put down his spoon, and began to move his fingers to reply to the text.

[Club room? Wow... So you go to that kind of place too]

[What’s with the wow.]

[As expected you’re on a different level. I’m out eating with a friend.]

[At this time?]

Jaejoong probably couldn't even imagine his sister playing in that kind of place. He was about to reply to Yunho’s text when he heard Jungwoo’s voice.

“Eat, you punk. Who’s that you’re texting so intensely?”

“Uh... Just someone.”

Jaejoong sent the text after answering Jungwoo’s question half-heartedly. Then, he put the phone on the tabl― thinking that the powerful vibration could shake the whole table, Jaejoong put his phone inside of his pocket instead. Jungwoo joked, “Got yourself a girlfriend?” before spooning his food again.

Looking at Jaejoong who ate a spoon, replied the text, ate a spoon, replied the text, and so and so, he began to feel suspicious and doubtful over the time. Jungwoo had to wait for half extra time he needed to eat everything for Jaejoong to finish his meal while still sending text messages. He unconsciously put his hand on the pocket that contains the cigarette pack. “Is Jaejoong’s rice bowl empty yet?”He sighed out loud, making Jaejoong put down both his spoon and his phone to look at his friend.

“Kim Jaejoong. I got drafted.”

“......”

“Do you remember when you and I went to the physical examination last year? Heheh, that time it felt like I was gonna enter the military right away, so I was really nervous."

“...When are you going?”

“You brat, take it easy.”

Jaejoong locked his phone. He also swallowed up all the remaining grains of rice in his mouth. He couldn’t believe that Jungwoo is enlisting.

“Why...so early?”

“What’s “so early”? I’m going if I’m going. I’m not gonna delay anything. This bastard, you must be so happy, huh?”

“Ah... Not really...”

He remembered when he went to the physical examination with Jungwoo last year. They both felt like they were about to enlist right away with their faces all pale, but they both pretended not to feel that way, so they played some jokes and let the thoughts go.

When the results of the physical examination came out, Jaejoong had some mixed feelings. He was never physically fit, but he didn't know that it was to the point of not being able join the army. He had a car accident when he was younger that resulted in him not being able to stand for a long time, even though he wasn’t exactly living uncomfortably. His immunity and organ function also significantly reduced. Jungwoo commented “Nice to be you,” out of habit, but not being able to experience the military life that you had to go through at least once if you’re born a man, actually made Jaejoong feel a little sad. But now, Jungwoo said he got a draft notice.

“I asked you, when?”

“Early March. That’s school season, huh... I went to uni earlier today to take my leave of absence application.”

“Mean bastard. Should have said earlier.”

“Hahh... It’s gonna be so refreshing not seeing you, though not being able to see Ahjoong- _nunim_ made me real sad.”

“Bitch.”

Jungwoo who was chuckling with laughter had a bitter expression on his face. It’d be nice if Jaejoong understood that he wanted to do things he has never done in his life before. But then again, what difference would it make? Jaejoong sighed uselessly, and then he felt bad.

“I’ll send you letters.”

“Hey, am I going tomorrow? Why are you making such a fuss?”

“Huhuu... You didn’t tell my sis?”

“Nope. Not gonna do it. She won’t care either way.”

_“_ _Kim Ahjoong you damned meanie._ _”_

“I’ll threaten my sis to send you letters too. Don’t worry.”

“Heheh... As expected you’re the best, you punk~”

Jaejoong and Jungwoo bumped their fists together lightly with a bitter smile on their lips. _“_ _Who_ _’_ _s left for me if Jungwoo enlists?_ _”_ While thinking, the emptiness that Jaejoong felt suddenly flew away. He still has another one.

* * *

Looking at the two women who walked in the way that Malsook hated, she lost interest in them and shifted her gaze back to U-Know’s room’s door. Malsook was staring hard at the door when the two women were caught in her sight again. _“_ _The heck are they doing?_ _”_ she thought when she saw the two women stopping in front of the room across.

“ _Eonni_! What are those bitches up to?”

“What?”

“They’re going into U-Know’s room!”

“What??”

Standing up at the speed of light, Ahjoong’s gang quickly opened the door and went out. Surprised at the suddenly opened door, the two women looked back at them. “What the?” The two women was startled, but they didn’t care about the group staring at them, so one of them held the doorknob, but Young grabbed her hand.

“W-what the?”

“Just come here first.”

“What?”

She knew this behavior is quite rude since she doesn't know the whole story. But she believes that doubt is the basis of safety. Young and the others dragged the two frightened women to their room. “What the hell’s wrong with these bitches? Let go!” they screamed, but stopped when Mian locked the door with a ting. Realizing that they were falling behind in number, the two women crossed their arms and frowned.

“What are you all trying to do?”

“We’re sorry, but can we ask why were the two of you going to that room?”

“What? Why? Why you ask?? Isn’t that what we should be asking you?”

_“_ _No, but for some girls who definitely looked younger than all of us, they_ _’_ _re super rude..._ _”_

“Look. Aren’t you too being to rude to people you just met?”

“What bullshit. You bitches better let us go now!”

“Hhhh... These women, seriously...”

Young, who exploded, began to spit out profanities to both women. Starting with “These fucking bitches,” until the words that the two women never even knew existed. “She doesn’t really show this side of her...” Ahjoong’s gang, who had been chatting with each other, was silent when Young's voice came to an end. The two women were stunned by the bomb-like verbal abuse. They’re totally frightened now.

“Now... Would you be so kind to tell us why were you two going there? There’s no way the people from that room called for you.”

“Ah... That... Erm...”

“Spit it out.”

“T-the assistant manager told us to! Get U-Know some drink and stick close to him...”

“Assistant manager?”

When Young heard one of the two women talked, she looked back at Malsook, who was the one with the connection to this club, but she looked as if she knows nothing. Then, Young and everyone had a hunch. U-Know could have been in danger. Young, who thought that far, put one of her hand on the shoulder of the woman who answered, and the other hand pointing to Malsook, before opening her mouth again.

“So, kids. You see that _eonni_ over there?”

“Yes?”

“That _eonni_ ’s boyfriend is the boss here. If you don’t believe so, you can go to that _eonni_ and asked her to show her phone screen. She would show you the picture of her with the boss that you’re so scared of. Anyway, what I’m saying is that you should listen to us now. Get out of this room and go back to yours. Don't poke your nose into that room."

“Ah...”

“What? Got feelings for U-Know?”

“N-no! Please excuse us!”

As if they wanted to get out of this place quickly, the two women bowed their heads and struggled out of the room. They didn’t even take a second glance at U-Know’s room across. Watching the figures until they couldn’t see be seen anymore, Young and rest sighed. Then suddenly, Young twisted her lips as if she was annoyed.

“What bastard would do that kind of thing?”

“I’ll ask my boyfriend. What kind of guy the assistant manager is.”

“Okay, Kim Malsook, you’re in charge of that. After hearing those bitches’ story, there’s a high probability that they installed a camera here.”

“Right!”

Hearing words of affirmation coming from here and there, Young bit her lower lip.

“We have no time to be flustered over this situation, but the most important thing is that we have to protect our U-Know.”

"That’s why, we have to find the camera first and get rid of it!"

Looking at Ahjoong who answered Young's words, Young suggested that they should go into the next room, even though they have to kneel to get the permission, and remove the camera. Feeling excited, all of them rushed to Young, and suggested that they go on their own. Just like little kids, they decided to play rock-paper-scissors to determine who should go. They all held out their hands, shouting “Rock, paper, scissors!” The lucky winner was Ahjoong.

“Then, I’ll be back safely,” Ahjoong said as she closed the door, leaving behind the others in the room who sucked on their lips, looking at Ahjoong’s back. Ahjoong was happy that she got the chance to see U-Know. Reminded of the scheme that the two girls from earlier plotted, Ahjoong frowned her forehead. It was fortunate, that this case was passed on because they’re here, but what would happen if something similar to this happened again? Worried, Ahjoong took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the room where U-Know is in.

Someone probably thought that the food was coming in, so they said “Yes, come in.” Ahjoong opened the door and stepped inside. She could see U-Know sitting at the far end, fiddling with his cell phone. Suppressing her gasp, Ahjoong tried to be as calm as possible. On the other hand, people began to look at her with curious eyes, when a woman who was not a waitress, came in empty-handed.

“We didn’t ask for any women.”

“Ah, I know.”

“Then why...”

_“_ _Huft... Stay calm... Stay calm, Kim Ahjoong. Don_ _’_ _t look at U-Know_ _’_ _s direction. I_ _’_ _m doing this right now for U-Know_ _’_ _s safety. I_ _’_ _m his guardian angel._ _”_ Ahjoong thought childishly in her mind, before speaking again.

“I’m aware that this is discourtesy, but I think this room is a little dangerous."

“What do you mean?”

“Please wait a minute.”

Without looking at U-Know’s general direction, she looked around for a place where the camera might be installed. Then, she found a small camera installed in the corner next to the door, just behind her. When everyone who were flustered began to whisper to each other, Ahjoong who finally found the camera, dragged a chair by the door and climbed on it.

“Look here, miss.”

“I’m done...”

“Pardon me?”

Climbing up the chair and reaching out, Ahjoong pulled the camera violently and tore it apart. Then, everyone began to grow more and more noisy. She put the ripped camera on the floor and crushed it with the heel she was wearing. Then she dusted off her clothes, smiled brightly, and raised her head. She could see that everyone were dumbfounded.

“...Miss... Who are you?”

“Me? Ah... U-Know- _ssi_. I think there are bad people who are after U-Know- _ssi_ , so please be more careful from now on. Also, I’m not an escort woman! I’m just a passing KNOW YOU. Then, please excuse me!!”

With a loud shriek, Ahjoong turned around, holding her pounding chest, and left the room.


	12. YJ Project - Chapter 12.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That kinda sounds like a compliment... Women would be happy to hear that, but would men do too?"

Yunho leaned back on the sofa, thinking about what had happened at the club not long ago. When the woman who claimed to be a KNOW YOU left, everyone was surprised and soon came to their senses, and complained to the club about the camera. The club said that they will punish the employee who had secretly installed the camera with the intention of framing U-Know. The agency didn't want things to get bigger, and the camera was also smashed by the strange woman, so they ended it as a simple portrait rights issue.

While everyone was surprised, Yunho remembered the woman who kept him out of trouble. It was a few days ago, so he couldn't remember her face in detail. She had a slightly different appearance than ordinary people. She had a good enough face to compare with the women in the entertainment industry. Above all, she looked like someone he knew, but he couldn’t think of who it is.

After being lost in thought for a long time, Yunho turned his head towards the clock hanging on the wall. It was a little past 8 a.m. Yesterday he had a schedule until late at night, so he slept in on the next day. Today, he woke up early with refreshed eyes. He ate the breakfast that was prepared by the housekeeper and sat on the sofa.

He looked at his cell phone placed on the table. He reached out to the cell phone that had been quiet without any change. He flipped the folder open heard the sound effect from the phone. He liked the sound that broke the silence, so he repeatedly closed and opened the folder several times, but after doing it for a long time, he got tired of it. He skittishly closed his phone, and jumped up as if something had suddenly came to his mind. And with quick steps, he took his jacket out of the room and left his home.

* * *

During vacation like these days, Jaejoong is used to open his eyes almost after 10 o'clock. In the early morning, Jaejoong was still deep in his slumber. Jaejoong, who had a habit of sleeping at the edge of his bed, was crouching heavily with his blanket pulled up to his chin. You could hear regular, colorful breathing sounds.

At a thunder-like sound, Jaejoong opened his eyes with the feeling of his heart dropping. As he gathered his breath, he reached out to the source of the sound and picked up the cell phone that was falling off his desk. The phone had such powerful vibration that you couldn’t get used to even after listening to it for months, and if you put it on top of the desk, it could even beat an alarm clock.

Before looking at the screen of the cell phone in his hand, Jaejoong turned his eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. 8.30 a.m. Jaejoong looked at the screen to see who was calling him so early in this dawn (dawn as in in Jaejoong’s personal clock). He was sure that it wasn’t a text message, and it was definitely a phone call, according to the long vibration. The name engraved on the screen with the number is [Him]. Jaejoong slid his phone open with his eyes wide open. He was still half-asleep, so his voice is rough.

“Mmhh... Why are you calling so early?”

< “Busy?” >

“No, why?”

< “Then come outside your house.” >

“What?!”

Well, this sure is one hell of a wake up call. Jaejoong yawned a big one, raising himself up. He left his room, scratching his shoulders, and enters the bathroom with his cell phone placed between his shoulder and his face.

“What are you talking about? I’m in the bathroom right now. About to wash up.”

< “Then do it fast and come out.” >

“...Hey. What’s this?”

< “Quick.” >

At the sound of a click, Jaejoong took his cell phone off his ear and looked at the screen, only to find out that the call had hung up. After staring at the innocent with a strange gaze, he put his phone in his sweatpants pocket, and started washing his face. After washing his face cleanly, he came into his room and applied lotions. Then, the cell phone that he had put in his pants' pocket rang short again. He pulled out his cell phone with a frown on his forehead and found a text message saying, [Fast.].

He thought something had happened, so he picked up the coat that was hanging roughly on the handle of his wardrobe, put slippers on his bare feet and poked his head out of the front door... He saw a shiny car.

Surprised, Jaejoong went down the stairs quickly and stood in front of the car. Then, the window slowly slide down, revealing Yunho's face. As he opened his rabbit-like eyes wide and stared blankly in astonishment, Yunho smirked and said to Jaejoong,

“Get in.”

Jaejoong, who was dumbfounded, kept staring at him, so Yunho urges him.

“Fast.”

“W-what for?”

“Let’s play.”

“....Seriously...”

“Get in quick.”

_“_ _W_ _hy_ _is he_ _so stubborn._ _.. Suddenly showing up and telling me to get in..._ _”_

“You... Can’t you see how pathetic I look right now? And I just woke up like 5 minutes ago.”

“I don’t mind. And so what if you look pathetic?”

_“_ _....Is this motherfucker saying that he can_ _’_ _t see my hair all scattered and jagged up, wearing this worn up training pants, with filthy t-shirt, and a-half-heartedly-worn parka? He might not see the Samdidas slippers on my bare feet though...._ _”_ Jaejoong was even more dumbfounded by Yunho's words. He looked at the handsome face with his mouth slightly open, but the guy only whipped his head, gesturing Jaejoong to get in.

“I can’t. If you wanna hang out that much, wait for an hour.

“What? Why do you need an hour just to get ready?

“Tch, okay then half an hour.”

“Wha-”

Dumbfounded, Yunho could only stare at Jaejoong’s back, who was going back into his house with his two hands stuffed into his parka pockets.

 _“The hell’s up with tha_ _t_ _guy?”_ Jaejoong came inside the house, took off his parka and ran into the bathroom. His heart beat fast as he ran all around the house. Grabbing the shower head and washing his hair at the speed of light, Jaejoong went into his room and opened the closet wide. He doesn't know why he’s doing this at (his definition of) dawn, but the important thing is that Yunho is waiting outside.

He took out the clothes that he’s about to wear and started drying his hair with the hair dryer placed on his desk. He was in such a hurry that he's getting ready at a tremendous speed. It took him less than 20 minutes including get his hair straight and wearing his clothes. Lastly, he wore a light blue coat, left through the front door, and the flashy car was still there, boasting it’s slim figure. Though, the owner who was waiting inside the car is much more flashier than the car. Jaejoong came inside the car. Opening the passenger door, he could hear music coming out of the car’s audio player.

“You came pretty fast.”

“Well, you were waiting! What if you got annoyed?”

“You did well.”

Yunho reached out to pat Jaejoong’s head, before starting the car and drove off.

“By the way, how did you know my house?”

“What? Last time, with my manager. We took you home, no?”

“I see… You’ve got a good memory.”

This was the second time he met Yunho in person after that day. Even though it was only the second time, they were as natural as though they have been friends for years. Jaejoong, tucked behind the seat belt, was talking to Yunho when he felt that sudden realization. Now, even the consciousness of Yunho being a celebrity was gradually falling apart.

He had felt this last time, Yunho looked very cool when he was driving. “Tell anyone who looks hotter than him when they drive to show up!” Jaejoong inwardly―no, that actually slipped from his mouth―muttered. How did a person this cool ended up being friends with him?

“Oh, but Jung Yunho who are your friends besides me?”

“None.”

“Eh, really?”

“I have one friend since high school, but he enlisted not long ago.”

“Ouch. My close friend will go in a month. You must felt sad, huh.”

“Not really...”

“Huh?! Not really?? You shouldn’t live like that!”

_“_ _I have you, though,_ _”_ is what Yunho said in his mind, as he turned the handle and glanced at Jaejoong. To him, Jaejoong who was leaning his head against the window and raised his head at Yunho’s “Not really” and started to argue, was funny and cute. He wanted to raise his hand and pat that nice hair again, but he didn’t want Jaejoong to get annoyed again, so he didn’t take his hands off the steering wheel.

“Hey.”

“Yea?”

“Did you put some make-up?”

Jaejoong’s eyes grew bigger at Yunho, who reached out and pokes his cheek. When he took back his hand and looked at it, there was nothing like cosmetics on it.

“You insane? You think I’m a girl?”

“Not like that... Then why are you so pale and red?”

“P-pale and red???”

Jaejoong looks at Yunho, who only glanced at his face with his eyes without turning his head, with embarrassment. _“_ _Pale and red he said... That kinda sounds like a compliment... Women would be happy to hear that, but would men do too??_ _”_ Thinking inwardly, Jaejoong leaned his head against the window again. “The window is cold, you punk.” He ignored Yunho’s words.

“By the way, where are we going to?” Jaejoong asked, which Yunho replied with “Who knows.” Jaejoong scratched his chin.

“The hell? You’re dragging me without knowing where to go?”

“I was bored... Wanna watch a movie?”

“Say what again? Are we dating or something? Then buy me some food. I’m hungry since I didn’t eat breakfast.”

“’Kay then.”

It took them quite a while to find a restaurant that opened in the morning. That was because usually, there would be a lot of people at 24-hour-open restaurants, but Yunho had to go to a quieter restaurant. Jaejoong, who was looking at the menu at the restaurant, was shocked at the high prices. Then he thought, _“_ _This guy must have loads of money,_ _”_ and rubbed his chest to calm his surprised heart.

But still, these prices are a little bit too much. So, Jaejoong rose from his seat, timidly saying, “I don’t really have to eat.” Yunho forced him to sit back down and smiled, saying “Is it because of the price?” This will look kinda bad, but Jaejoong thought since he was already all the way here, he should just eat. He straightened his pouting lips.

Yunho didn’t order anything since he already had breakfast, so he opted to look at Jaejoong who was eating. Jaejoong, who was embarrassed by the action, sometimes puts bite-sized steak in Yunho's mouth. If Jaejoong were to put it, he had a good breakfast. The employee who served them recognized Yunho, and asked him for a sign before moving on quietly. Then, they left the restaurant.

“Now that we’ve eaten, what do we do now? You don’t have any schedules today?”

“I’m doing this because I don’t.”

“Ah, I see...”

Yunho was really nice for buying him food earlier, but he kinda hate this side of him who replied shortly to the other party. Because of Yunho’s abhorrent reply, as soon as they entered they car in the parking lot, Jaejoong leaned his head on the window again. “You must really like windows,” Yunho commented as he turned the handle. Jaejoong should have get used to that cool action already, but... he still had to calm his jumpy heart.

“By the way, since you can’t go to places with a lot of people, we don’t really have much choices.” At Jaejoong’s words, Yunho fell into a thought, rubbing his chin with his hand, without giving an answer. Jaejoong, who was waiting for Yunho’s answer, turned his head to Yunho’s direction without lifting his head off the window. After scratching his chin for a long time, Yunho suddenly made a turn.

“That surprised me!” screaming, Jaejoong slapped Yunho’s arm, only to get a chuckle as a response.

“The weather is so nice. Let’s take a walk.”

“Huh?”

“It’d be good since there are no people. The park.” Jaejoong nodded at Yunho’s words.

Coming to the park was an excellent choice. Jaejoong, who had bought two warm canned coffees from a store earlier, held one out to Yunho's hand. Parking the car in the parking lot, getting off to enter the wide road, they breathe in the fresh air. Surely there were not many people because it was still early in the morning. They did see one or two people pass by, but they were all elderly people who went to have morning exercises, and they didn’t recognize Yunho.

Holding the warm can in his hand, Jaejoong, along with Yunho, headed towards the more secluded road. “It’s been a really long time since I can walk so freely.” Jaejoong nodded at Yunho’s words. It would be impossible for Yunho to walk on the road since people would stare at him. At best, all he could do was run on the treadmill at the gym. That was kinda pitiful.

They were just walking without doing anything, but Yunho felt really happy. It was because, even though he didn’t say much, Jaejoong was rambling about a lot of things while walking next to him. Even if he answered Jaejoong’s questions with short answers out of habit, Jaejoong had a lot more to ask him, so he wasn’t bored. After taking a long walk and asking all sorts of questions about his high school days and the entertainment industry, Jaejoong brought up his family.

“How many siblings do you have? Where did your parents live?”

“.....”

“Hm?”

Jaejoong turned his head towards Yunho who didn’t answer his questions. He didn't notice the corners of Yunho’s mouth, which was slightly raised, had hardened.

“....No siblings.”

“Ah really? I have one older sister, and she’s real rude. But these days she had been kind to me and that’s super gross. I prefer her previous evil self. What about your parents?”

“...Huft... None.”

“Huh?”

“No parents.”

“Ah....”

Jaejoong shut his lips. Yunho is famous, so he thought many would know about his family. He never thought that he would get that as an answer. He thought that it would seem rude to ask any more questions, so Jaejoong stopped talking. As Jaejoong closed his mouth, there was a huge silence between them. Because he didn't like the atmosphere, Yunho chuckled and made a face.

“What’s with the silence? They passed away in an accident when I hadn’t debuted for long. It wasn’t a big deal now, so don’t worry.”

“’Kay... Sorry.”

“For what? It’s okay, so ask anything else you wanted to ask.”

Yunho said those words brightly to lighten up the mood, but Jaejoong definitely heard that colorless voice from those words. Jaejoong bowed his head lower. Yunho was frustrated at Jaejoong who kept lowering his head instead of talking, so he did something that he usually wouldn’t do. He started the conversation.

He took out the cellphone from Jaejoong’s pocket and asked, “What did you save my number as?”

Jaejoong quietly replied, “Him...”

That actually irked Yunho, but he wanted to only show his bright side. Jaejoong gradually began to regain his liveliness. Yunho quickly said, “Change it!” with a frown on his face.

Jaejoong giggled, “Then others would be surprised~” He then changed the contact name from [Him] to [Cool Guy].

When Yunho asked him what did he change it to, he said “[Annoying],” and laughed at Yunho’s irritated expression. Thinking, _“_ _So Yunho have this kind of side too... I should annoy him more often,_ _”_ Jaejoong had a growing smile on his face. And also, he started to feel a sense of duty to fill the empty spots of Yunho’s family and friends.

How long have they walked again? Jaejoong felt his legs getting tired. He hadn’t have to walk or stand for a long time these days, so he forgot. It seems like he had walked past his limit today. He only felt a small pain at first, so he ignored it and continued to walk, but the pain slowly increased and his legs began to limp.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

“Nah...”

Yunho asked, noticing Jaejoong’s strange behavior. Jaejoong smiled, as if he wasn’t feeling anything. It was his pride that prevented to show his weakness to his new friend, so he decided to hide it. But even so, he couldn’t go for any further than that. It was because he eventually slipped and collapsed.

“Does your leg hurts?”

“No... I think we’ve walked too far.”

“Yeah.. You look weak. Let’s go back.”

“Okay.”

Accepting Yunho’s help, Jaejoong stood up and tried to walk a step, only to fall again before doing so. He bit on his lower lip. Yunho looked back at the sound of the sound, got surprised, and helped Jaejoong to get up. He saw that Jaejoong couldn’t regain the strength of his legs, so he took one of Jaejoong’s arm and put it around his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around Jaejoong’s waist and began to support him.

“Seriously, what’s wrong with you? Lost your strength?”

“Ah... Yeah...”

“What do we do? We still have a long way to go.”

Yunho supported almost all of Jaejoong’s weight and helped him walk. They walked so far that it’ll took them a long time to get back to the parking lot. Just what were they talking about that it got them this far? Yunho also began to feel tired from the uncomfortable position. He took Jaejoong to a nearby bench to get some rest.

“Still can’t walk?”

“Yeah.... Sorry.”

“Why do you keep saying sorry...”

Yunho tapped the back of his head and rose one eyebrow. _“_ _What should I do with this guy...?_ _”_ he wondered. Cars are not allowed in the park, so he can’t bring his car here. Plopping down to sit next to Jaejoong, Yunho supported his chin with the back of his hand. Finally, he stood from the bench and crouched in front of Jaejoong, with his back facing Jaejoong.

“Eh why?”

“Why you ask... Get on.”

“What? No thanks. I’m really sorry, but can’t you just help me walk?

“Do you know how tiring that was? Carrying you on my back is better.”

“Urgh, but it’s embarrassing!”

Jaejoong couldn’t help but be surprised at Yunho's embarrassing remarks. He resented his aching legs. He felt bad enough to get help for walking, but carrying him? This (not very) healthy man who was carried by his mom when he was a kid? Despite Jaejoong's shoving and pushing on his back, Yunho kept telling him to get on his back. Finally Yunho threatened, “If you don’t get on my back in 5 seconds, you’re dead.” Frightened by the harsh words, he had no choice but to be carried Yunho’s back.

Jaejoong said that it would be hard to stand up from crouching, so he suggested that he stood on the bench. Yunho paid no heed to it and told Jaejoong to just get on his back. He ignored Jaejoong’s murmur of “It’ll be heavy though...” and stood up easily. _“_ _He_ _’_ _s really strong..._ _”_ Jaejoong admired inwardly as Yunho took long stride as if it was nothing.

“Hey... Isn’t it heavy?”

“Not really. It’s much more comfortable than before.”

“Ah... Really....?”

“You’re tall, but you don’t weight much.”

Not being able to gain weight was actually one of Jaejoong’s complexes... Jaejoong glared at Yunho’s handsome back view and raised his fist. “Hold on tight. You’ll fall.” At Yunho’s words, he quickly put back his arms around Yunho’s neck.

He was glad no one was around to see Yunho carrying him like that. His legs was supported by Yunho’s firms arms, so that he wouldn’t fall. He felt like he became a little child being carried, with his two arms circling around Yunho’s neck. Being this close, he could smell Yunho’s distinctive scent. He guessed Yunho took a shower in the morning, since he smells like a fresh body cleaner. Even when other men pass by him, he never smelled this kind of strong skin smell.

Even the ears that was right in front of his face is handsome. Looking a little bit to the front he could see the unrealistically handsome side profile. Celebrities would have to use a lot of make-up, but Yunho’s skin was so clean and it even shines at the touch of sunlight. Even as a man, he couldn’t help but admire and admire Yunho’s features. Without even himself knowing, he was looking at Yunho with his mouth open. _“_ _Why are you this handsome? Are you even human?_ _”_ _h_ e asked inwardly.

Jaejoong finally stopped looking at Yunho’s face after checking out Yunho’s smooth yet sharp jawline. He was afraid that if he looked a little bit longer, his saliva would drop on Yunho’s clothes. _“_ _Anyway his wide back is so comfy... Or is it the broad of his back...?_ _”_ Jaejoong is now even thinking of absurd thoughts. He was so comfortable that he felt sleepy, so put his chin on Yunho's broad shoulders. Yunho who felt itchy jolted his shoulder and that hit Jaejoong’s chin. That was funny so Jaejoong chuckled and let out a small laugh.

 _“_ _His body is so comfy..._ _”_ Feeling a tingle in his chest, Jaejoong dropped his forehead on the back Yunho’s head. The conflict between his mind and body created a feeling of dizziness.


	13. YJ Project - Chapter 13.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You won’t be able to get this into your head anyway, but all Kim Ahjoong does is fangirl over U-Know, teach, eat. That’s all.”

“Wake up...... Kim Jaejoong... Hey.”

He faintly heard a voice. He was sleeping so he thought it was a dream... His shoulder shook bit by bit. Letting out a whine, Jaejoong slowly crept his eyes open. He raised his head and shook it several times to drive out his sleep. Blinking his eyes and looking to his side, “Hiiek!” he was surprised to see another person’s face. Even though he was so surprised, he quickly regained his stability and gathered his mind. Yunho was right in front of his eyes.

“Why are you sleeping?”

“Uh...? Huh?!?!”

“God, you surprised me.”

Jaejoong bounced off the seat. His memory was fuzzy, so he tried remembering when did he fall asleep, and slowly remembered. He walked for too long, so Yunho carried him on his back... and... and... he fell asleep.

“Oh God! I’m sorry! Why is this happening... Where are we?”

“Where you ask... It’s your house.”

“Ah... What do I do.... I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

“Can’t you stop with the apologies? I’m gonna lose my ears.”

Jaejoong fell asleep on Yunho’s back, got taken to the parking lot, and rode on Yunho’s car. It was a long walk, so it was really tiring, but because it seemed like Jaejoong was sleeping so deep, Yunho didn't wake him up. Besides, his legs looked like they were hurting a lot. Because there’s no way he could bring a sleeping kid to play anywhere, he regretfully brought Jaejoong back home, and woke him up after arriving.

He frowned at Jaejoong’s endless apologies. He didn’t think anything of it, but Jaejoong kept feeling sorry. He wondered if Jaejoong is always this timid. He already thought of Jaejoong as a close friend, so hearing those apologies felt kind of awkward. Telling Jaejoong to stop apologizing also resulted in Jaejoong apologizing once more. That made Yunho chuckle.

“Until when are you gonna sit there?”

“Ah.. Right. I have to go in. Right.”

“Can you get in by yourself? Call someone. I can’t get off since there are a lot of people.”

“Ah, of course! I’m okay now. I’m really thankful and sorry for today.”

“Stop it. I told you to stop saying that, didn’t I?”

_“_ _But it must have been hard..._ _”_ He couldn’t help saying sorry hundreds of time. Even if he was a light girl, carrying him and walking so far would still be extremely tiring. But he was a fully grown-up man... With an apologetic face, Jaejoong got out of the car. After a resting for long, his legs felt fine now except for the slight soreness. Yunho left after waving his hands from beyond the opened window. Jaejoong then entered his house.

Still out of his sense, he shook his head and as soon as he stepped inside, there was some one who could make him even more out of it. “Jaejoong- _aaaaaaaah_!!!!” Ahjoong ran towards Jaejoong. She grabbed the arm of Jaejoong, who stepped back in surprise, and stick to his side.

“Who was that? Whose car was that?”

“W-well...”

“Where did you go so early in the morning? That car was trendy as hell. You knew someone that rich? That’s nonsense. Some rich person.... Are you... a mistr-”

“What are you talking about?!”

Did this woman eat something weird this morning? He couldn’t help but be loss for words at the last statement. He couldn’t tell anything truthfully, so he held back his answer and went past Ahjoong towards his room. Irritated at Ahjoong who followed him and kept prying, as soon as he got inside, he slammed the door and locked it.

He rubbed on his stiff eyes with his hands. Waking up at (not) dawn, met with Yunho who waited for him outside, had a meal, and even took a walk. Rather than a walk... It was more of getting to know Yunho better. He even got to ride on that wonderful wide back. Reminded of that embarrassing memory, Jaejoong hit his reddening face with his two hands. Carrying his friend because his legs are aching... Yunho must have felt embarrassed.

Throwing his body on the bed, hugging the pillow, and screaming silently, Jaejoong rolled around. While getting crazy on his own, he felt a vibration from his pocket, so he stopped rolling around. Was it [Him]? Ah, no, he changed it to [Cool Guy]. He forgot because he was busy throwing a fit over being embarrassed, but then he remembered lying to Yunho about changing it to [Annoying], and he chortled and took out his phone.

_“Tch.”_

“Argh, what!”

< “Why did you answer the phone that way? Wanna get hit?” >

“What what!”

What a waste of time. The screen showed [Jungwoo Bastard] instead of [Cool Guy]. How did he react so differently to his friend who was about to enlist and to Yunho whom he hung out with? Who was it again who said to Yunho that he should not “didn't care” about his friend going to the army?

< “The heck’s up with this guy? What did you do?” >

“Nothing. Why?”

< “This guy... This _hyung-ah_ will kill you.” >

“Bullshit.”

< “Huftt... Just you wait later. You’re dead.” >

_“_ _Just you wait what a bullshit._ _”_ Jaejoong stuck his tongue at Jungwoo who couldn’t even see him.

* * *

...He really met him...

In the end, Jaejoong met Jungwoo. Come to think of it, there's not much time left for them to hang out, so he can’t refuse if one wants to meet up. Jungwoo headlocked Jaejoong as soon as they met, so Jaejoong suffered over coughing for some minutes. They met at the campus. Jungwoo said it was because he won’t be able to be there for some years. At Jaejoong who nodded in understanding, scratching the back of his neck, Jungwoo smirked.

Since he walked for too long before, he opted to sat on the bench. He was holding a cup of coffee that he bought before entering the school. He remembered walking with Yunho at the park earlier. It felt different to when he was with Jungwoo. _“_ _Is it because I haven_ _’_ _t known Yunho for long...?_ _”_ he thought as he sucked on the thin straw to drink a sip of coffee. It was a much more expensive coffee, but it doesn’t taste as good as the canned one he had with Yunho earlier.

“What’s your sister doing nowadays?”

“Is that all you have to ask?”

“Heheh...”

“You won’t be able to get this into your head anyway, but all Kim Ahjoong does is fangirl over U-Know, teach, eat. That’s all.”

He raised his fingers on each of the tree things he listed and shrugged his shoulders. At that, Jungwoo laughed at whatever he found was funny. “Anyway, she teaches people, earn money, and spend it on another person,” Jaejoong added, which made Jungwoo stop his laugh. Compared to Jungwoo’s excited laugh, Yunho’s small smile looked much more pleasant.

“Let’s have lunch,” said Jungwoo, and Jaejoong nodded. He remembered the breakfast that he had with Yunho this morning. He had a special experience of cutting the steak while feeling the morning breeze. They stood from the bench, left the campus, and headed downtown. At the area with so many restaurants lined up, just like last time, they thought for long on which one to go to, and gloomily went inside the Korean snack restaurant. After fighting over who’s paying, in the end, Jaejoong won and opened his wallet, only to find one lonely piece of 10,000 won. They ordered two rolls of kimbap and two food as they laughed at their situation.

“Actually if I won, I’d take you here too. I only have 10,000 won.”

“Me too! When I checked my wallet, there was only 10,000 won. Hihi.”

“This brat. So we’re the same, huh.”

“Hm. Get lost, bastard.”

Jaejoong who was laughing, turned pouty at Jungwoo’s words. They fought on which food is whose with their chopsticks. After finishing lunch and drinking a glass of water, Jaejoong rubbed his full stomach and remembered what happened several hours ago. When he was with Jungwoo, they could go to places where he couldn’t even dream of going. Putting a beautifully cut meat in his mouth, giving it to the other person... Jaejoong tried to imagine what he did with Yunho, replacing the other party to Jungwoo in his imagination for a very short time.

 _“_ _Blergh._ _”_ He felt like puking. When he pretended to throw up with his neck sticking out of the sudden thought, Jungwoo grumbled, "Are you crazy?"

 _“_ _By the way... Why do I keep on comparing this guy to Jung Yunho??_ _”_ Jaejoong suddenly thought of a question that he couldn’t answer. He stopped the movement of his eyes. It hadn’t been long since they parted ways, but Jaejoong already missed that handsome face.

* * *

_“Who could it be…? Is it really a rich chairman's wife?”_ She began to float in her wild imagination and clapped her hands to herself. She changed the TV channel with the remote that was lying on the sofa and yawned. If Jaejoong was here, he would probably say “That bastard Jungwoo should really see this side of you.”

Reminded of Jaejoong’s face, Ahjoong let a smirk make way to her face. Whose little brother was this pretty again? While thinking about her brother’s face with a happy smile, she heard her phone ringing and got up from the couch. She went to her room and took her phone from her bed. She picked up the call and greeted the other line with a “Hello?”

< “Teacher, why aren’t you coming?” >

“Huh? What?”

< “It’s already 2 o’clock~ The piano lesson~”

“Lesson?”

“......Ah right! Uh, I’m on the way right now so just wait a bit more~” she lied naturally before rushing to get ready. She totally forgot that she has to teach today. She tied her hair tightly with a string, roughly put on her clothes, and left her home for the lesson.

*****ding dong***** She pressed the bell and opened the door right away. Ahjoong carefully stepped her feet into the house. Then, Hyerim, the girl who’s having the lesson politely asked her, “You have arrived?”, coming out of her room.

“Did you practice a lot? What were you doing?”

“I was on my computer.”

“My, my. I told you to practice, didn’t I?”

“I did! I was just gonna play on the computer for a bit, but Jaejoong- _oppa_ ’s face wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“You’re looking at Kim Jaejoong again?”

Hyerim is a fan of Jaejoong. But, the important thing is that Ahjoong never told her that she’s Jaejoong’s older sister. Knowing the fact that her student is her brother’s fan made her laugh. No one else know how funny this is. Laughing inwardly, she headed towards the piano. She lifted the piano’s lid and put some music sheets that was on top of the piano on the pedestal. Hyerim turned her computer off and went to the living room.

No matter how _Ahjoong_ she is, she did all her part and started the lesson without saying anything. She finished her lessons from Bach to Chopin with a pretty serious look. After that, she turned back to her actual self. When she came to teach Hyerim, she always had a habit of staying for hours after the lessons. The reason was, because if she’s Jaejoong’s fan, then there’s a 90% possibility that she’s one of the members of YunJae-Making.

Hyerim gave her one of the two chocolate snack she took from the fridge. Then, they started to chatter. Needless to say, most of their conversations were about YunJae. She had a lot of fun talking to Hyerim, who is way younger than she is. Then, they heard the sound of the front door opening.

“Grandma?”

“Yes... Oh, teacher, you came.”

“Ah, hello, Ma’am.”

“Did you learn the piano?”

“Yes, Grandma! Did you exercise well?”

“Of course~”

Ahjoong stood to greet Hyerim’s grandmother who had just arrived. After looking at Hyerim’s grandmother who was going to her room after greeting them, they continued their conversation. Most of the stories about YunJae were all the works of Ahjoong and the gang, so listening those kind of exaggerated stories from Hyerim made her laugh out loud. She was curious about what Hyerim’s reaction would be if she told her that she is Jaejoong’s older sister and is one of YunJae-Making operators.

She was listening to those endless stories from Hyerim when Hyerim’s grandmother came out of the room and called out to Hyerim

“Oh, Hyerim- _ah_. I saw that kid at the park today.”

“Huh? That kid?”

“You know... The one that came out on the TV. The singing kid that you like so much.”

“A singer that I like?”

“Wasn’t it... U....U-Know?”

Ahjoong opened her eyes wide to her own question. She turned her head in surprise to the grandmother, and saw the grandmother nodding her head.

“Yeah! That kid! U-Know or something... He’s really handsome.”

“Oh...Ohoho....”

“Dammit...”

The second one was Ahjoong’s sound of surprise, and the third one was Hyerim getting frustrated.

“No way....” Hyerim mumbled with her face filled with dismay. “Grandma, don’t lie...” she almost cried.

“Why would I lie?” At her grandmother’s reply, she fell into disappointment again. The reason for that was because she always found her grandma asking her to join her exercising a hassle, so she never went along with her.

“Why is U-Know there!” Hyerim, almost in tears, sat on the floor, feeling all kinds of frustration. Ahjoong was frozen to her spot. “So U-Know goes to the park too... I should go too starting tomorrow. What time was it?” is what she would have asked if she didn’t see Hyerim crying on the floor. She must have felt so frustrated. By the way, why would U-Know be there? That place was far from his home.

Ahjoong tilted her head and began to comfort Hyerim. She was trying to do so, but Hyerim’s grandmother upcoming words made her threw herself to the floor along with Hyerim.

“Oh, and that kid was carrying someone on his back. I don’t know who that was. They looked so sweet together whispering to each other like that. That handsome kid looked really good with that pretty kid.”

_“_ _.....Please don_ _’_ _t lie, Grandmother._ _”_

* * *

“Huhuuuu..... This is a dream....”

Ahjoong brought a lot of soju on the way home, sat on the table as soon as she came home, and drank straight from the bottle. Jaejoong, who was in his room, was surprised at the scene and asked what was wrong, snatching the bottle in the process. But he gave it back when she blew out on him. She looked really sad, swallowing those liquids, whether they are tears or soju. Just what made her so sad?

“No.... *****hiccup***** way... Huhuuuuu.... Uwaaaahh...”

“ _Nunaaa..._ ”

“Drop it! Go away! You’re of no help! What can we do anyway? Some bitch already stole him!”

“Huh?”

“Fuck off!! Go away!!”

_“_ _Why is_ nuna _like that?_ _”_ Jaejoong shook his head and told her, “You should stop before dad came back,” before going back to his room. Ahjoong frowned hard at Jaejoong’s retreating back and gulped down her bottle. She was upset as hell. At a place like the park.... and carrying her on his back!! Must be a real fun date... She’d definitely kill that bitch if she found her. Ahjoong took her phone with her trembling hands and made a call to Young.

< “Hello-” >

“ _Eonniiii....._ Huhuuu... Young _eonniii..._ Huwaah... Min Young _eonniiii...._ Uwaaaaahhhh...”

< “What’s wrong? What happened?” >

“Huwaaaa... No way... This can’t be happening...”

< ”Why? What is it?” >

“U-Know... U-Know... That fucker U-Know....... He got a girlfriend... huhuuu.... He carried her on his back at the park... What a load of bullshit!!””

When he heard a Ahjoong’s hard-to-understand wailing in the living room, Jaejoong blocked his ears. “Urgh, so noisy. Why is she like that, really?” Frowning, Jaejoong continued typing the text he was gonna send on his cell phone.

[Looks like my sister got dumped]

To. [Cool Guy]


	14. YJ Project - Chapter 14.

Perhaps because he woke up early, Yunho, who felt sleepy as soon as he came home, fell asleep. After a long nap, he woke up at his manager's call announcing his schedule. While shaking his head and letting go of some sleep, Yunho stood up to wash himself. His waist felt sore. He frowned for a while and was lost in thought. Soon, he felt himself smiling. It was because he remembered walking a long distance with Jaejoong on his back in the morning.

After washing up, and wearing the black horn-rimmed glasses on his computer room, he heard the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, his manager came in. “Today is only a radio show and that’s all.” It was a rare less busy day, and that was why he met up with Jaejoong in the morning. Yunho clenched his fist and lightly beat his waist when his manager wasn't looking, and left the house. Today was a tiring but a really exciting day.

Yunho, who arrived at the studio with the van, stood in the hallway before getting in in time. It has been a long time since he went on a radio show, so it reminded him of that time. It was a visible radio, so he was embarrassed because he kept getting calls. He slightly raised the corner of his mouth to the memory that came to his mind, and took out his cell phone from his pocket to turn off the phone so that he wouldn't make the same mistake as last time. As he tried to press the power button, Yunho hesitated. A text message has arrived.

[Looks like my sister got dumped]. It was a text message from Jaejoong. At that, Yunho tilted his head and pressed on the call button instead of the exit button. Not long after several call tones, he could hear Jaejoong’s voice.

< “Ah.” >

“Pfft. Why are you surprised. What are you doing?”

< “Me? Just... Waiting for you reply of course. Hehe, but looks like my sister is going crazy.” >

“Why?”

< “The woman just bawls and screams while downing the soju bottle. She looked like she just got dumped.” >

He’s sorry to Jaejoong's older sister, but Yunho burst out laughing at his funny words for some reason. Jaejoong right away scolded him, “It’s not a funny situation~!” If she looks like Jaejoong, then his sister must have been pretty too, and he couldn’t think of any reason why she would get dumped. After hearing Jaejoong’s long mumbling, Yunho had to move his feet because of his manager urged him to come inside.

“I’m doing a radio right now. Turn on 89.1 FM.”

< “Eeh?” >

“See you at the radio.”

< “Huh? Hey, hey!” >

Leaving behind Jaejoong's question as if he didn't understand what he meant, Yunho turned off his cell phone. He put it back in his pocket and went into the studio with light steps.

* * *

At Young’s words of “I’m going there right now,” Ahjoong hung up the call. The two bottles of soju she bought were on the floor and rolling around on the table. Ahjoong’s face was all over the table wet with tears. She was tired of crying out loud, and now she was letting out silent fat tears. Her head is full of thoughts like, "Jung Yunho, you bastard son of a bitch, I'll kill you all."

After a few minutes, the front door opened, and Young came in. She was surprised to see how miserable Ahjoong was. “Ah, Ahjoong- _ah,_ ” she called out with worry. Ahjoong went “ _Eonniii...._ ” and began wailing again. After confirming that Jaejoong was in the house, Young dragged Ahjoong out, saying, "Let's get out of the house." When Ahjoong saw Young, she was about to let out a sound of sorrow again, but Young blocked her mouth with her hand, and put her on the passenger side of her car.

“Hey, snap out of it. Ugh, you reek of alcohol.”

“Huuhuuuu.... Do I look like I can? Huughhh...”

“What are you mourning over? I thought Yunho was gonna die because you kept going “U-Know U-Know”.”

“Huwaaahhhh don’t say weird things!”

“That’s why, this kid. Yunho is not dying, why are you going over the top like this?”

Young, who always led in calmness, began to persuade Ahjoong to settle down. Young, too, was very surprised to hear what Ahjoong said. But she doesn't believe what an old lady would say, or what she didn't see with her own eyes. Because she had such a thought, she couldn't understand Ahjoong crying her eyes out. And even if the story was true, it was because Young, unlike Ahjoong, acknowledged a little about the unrealistic nature of YunJae-Making.

Young's calm words gradually began to ebb Ahjoong’s cries. As expected of Young, who’s known for her fantastic speech anytime and anywhere, comforted Ahjoong with the unreliable fact that “The old lady might have seen it wrong.”

“Even if what she saw was true, she could be his cousin. Or a girl whose legs were hurt after accidentally falling down while walking, so he gave her a piggyback ride. Ah, but U-Know is rude, so this one’s a pass. What else is there? Right! Maybe the woman was actually a guy, but he's got long hair so the old lady mistook him for a woman. You know how grandmas are. If someone’s got a long hair, then they’re definitely female, a lady, a girl, a woman, and so and such. And there’s also this. Maybe the old lady fell asleep while she was taking a walk, and so everything was a dream. There are so many exceptional possibilities. But, if you believe that he has a girlfriend, what can you do? If we don’t believe in U-Know, then who will?”

“....”

“And if, she really was his girlfriend, so what? It’s not like they’re gonna get married. Celebrities used to date for a day and then break up the next day. This is life~ U-Know might not be that kind of guy, though. Anyway, if you have time to wallow and cry, wouldn’t it be better to get the kids together and think about plans to get rid of her?”

“W-well, yeah, but...”

“We’re the ones who’re gonna make YunJae happens. The main character might be U-Know, but we’re the ones doing the thing. But, if you’re all down like this, what can we do then?”

While listening to Young's words, Ahjoong slowly nodded. After listening, she went “Right! I should hang on! Let’s make YunJae happen!” It made Young shut her ears with her hands, but she swept down her chest at Ahjoong’s brightening mood. She'd be lying if she wasn't confused herself, but by persuading Ahjoong like this, she started to have absolute credibility in what she just said.

Young burst into laughter at Ahjoong who started hiccuping after getting so drunk. Then she said, “If she’s really his girlfriend, then this is an emergency, so let’s get the kids together and have a meeting right now,” and started the car. Ahjoong wore the safety belt, sighing and clutching the belt. Now that she thought about it, she felt a little bit sorry to Yunho. Yunho is also a person who can date, so she felt upset that she’s actually annoyed, thanks to her selfish fan heart.

But as expected.... She can’t accept anyone but Jaejoong to be with Yunho!!

Ahjoong stopped feeling bad and started burning with passion for YunJae again. Young who sat next to her and drove without hesitation, remembered that today U-Know has a radio recording. “Ah, fuck. My car radio broke,” she mumbled.

* * *

After the phone suddenly cut off, Jaejoong kept glaring at his cell phone in place of the unseen Yunho. He twisted his lips and threw his innocent cell phone to the bed. The outside of his room which was noisy as if someone had came, is now quiet again. It seems one of Ahjoong’s scary friends took her out. Following the cell phone he just threw, Jaejoong laid down on his bed. He stared at the white ceiling... and saw Yunho’s face floating around.

Finally, Jaejoong jumped up and turned on the radio in the corner of his desk. After adjusting the frequency to the one Yunho mentioned earlier, he could hear the DJ's cheerful voice. It wasn't long before he heard an exaggerated introduction the guest. “The world star, the pride of South Korea, everyone’s lover, let’s welcome U-Know- _ssi_!” Jaejoong chuckled at the DJ’s words. That wold star is actually his friend.

Feeling proud for no reason, Jaejoong picked up the cell phone that he threw onto the bed and patted it lightly. Whenever he saw Yunho on the TV or the radio like this, he felt flattered by the thought that he’s meeting a great person. Yunho's voice that was on the radio, not on the phone, was very strange. It's kind of hard, and frankly saying, businesslike. Somehow, his voice and way of speech is different today. It was quite similar to how Yunho talked to him on the phone earlier.

 _“I don't know why I feel that way_ _,_ _”_ he thought as he sat back on the bed and tilted his head. Hugging the pillow and leaning against the wall, Jaejoong listened to Yunho's voice coming out of the radio. Unlike other singers, U-Know wasn’t very good at promoting his album on the radio. He just spent time answering questions and talking. In the middle, U-Know's follow-up song was heard and the show continued with a full-fledged barrage of questions.

< “It's a shame that today's not a visible radio. Everyone listening to the radio should see this. U-Know- _ssi_ , is this really your bare face? But your skin is so... wow. And he's wearing a black horn-rimmed glasses. I'm sure there are a lot KNOW YOUs who’s dying to see see this now. >

Jaejoong is not a KNOW YOU. But he wanted to see Yunho wearing a black horn-rimmed glasses. _“_ _I'll ask him to show me him wearing his horn-rimmed glasses next time,_ _”_ he thought while poking on the pillow.

< “Okay then, let's check out some of the questions from our listeners. Um... Well, this is a very obvious and boring question, just think of it as a procedure and please answer, hahaha. Okay now, the first question. U-Know- _ssi_ , what’s your ideal type? Is there any female celebrity who is close to your ideal type?" >

< “Ideal type? Hm... I’ve never thought of that before, so there’s no female celebrity close to my type. It’s a boring answer, but I can’t think of it right now, hahah... I'm sorry I can't answer every time I get this question." >

< “Ah, is that so? It really is boring. Hahahah. Okay, then the second question is from Rimme- _nim_. Do you have any celebrities you are close to? If so, who? Ah, I want to get close to you too, U-Know- _ssi_. I'm not sure if you know I'm a fan. Hahaha.” >

< “Ahaha... Thank you... Hm... I don’t think this is a fun question either. Most of them are fine, but I don’t really have any specific close friends. I'm sure some of you know this, but I'm very shy. I don't have any celebrity friends. I just have a regular close friend. We never knew each other in high school, but he’s the only friend I’m seeing right now. And of course, he’s a man.” >

Jaejoong felt his body heat up at the statement. He let go of the pillow he was hugging. _“_ _Is he talking about me?_ _”_ he asked to himself. No matter how he thought about it, he was the only one U-Know sees these days. And they don’t know each other in high school. Apparently, the memory of meeting him before he became U-Know was vague. _“_ _Is it not me? Is this brat Jung Yunho cheating on me?_ _”_ Jaejoong even thought of strange things.

Anyway, the chance that Yunho was talking about him was high. When he thought of that, the corner of his mouth began to raise up. _“_ _I_ _’_ _m gonna ask him after the radio ended~_ _”_ he thought before going back to hug his pillow and began poking on it.

_“_ _Ah... I_ _’_ _m so proud and happy._ _”_

* * *

Yunho and Jaejoong contacted each other all the time, exchanged words and text messages, and spent time hanging out when Yunho's schedule was free. Due to Yunho's situation, there were only a limited number of places to hang out at, but they always felt something new whenever they met. The time when they were together was the most enjoyable to both of them.

“Is it okay for you to pick me up all the time? Isn’t it a hassle?”

“It’s okay. I should use it at times like this. If not, then I’d have no chance to use my car at all.”

“Well... Heheh, but my sis is suspicious. She kept asking whose car that is. I barely managed to stop her from following me today.”

“Your sister is scary. From now on, I shouldn't park my car in front of your house, then."

With a small laugh, Jaejoong fastened his seat belt. Yunho's sense of humor seems to have increased a lot these days. He didn't say anything funny, but in the past, he’d be more like “You. Come out of the house. Now.” It was natural for Jaejoong to feel that way when he used to say such ruthless things in a rude way. Jaejoong stared at Yunho, desperately trying to avoid Yunho’s hand, which was trying to stroke his head, as if he had become accustomed to it. They were just as happy to bicker like this.

“Where do you wanna go today?”

“Dunno... Just drive around?”

“Shall we?”

“Oh, I haven’t been to your house yet. I wanna go there. I'm curious how good it is to live there~”

“You’re curious about everything.”

While answering like that, Yunho turned his car toward his house. After driving for a long time, they arrived at a luxurious apartment in Gangnam area. Getting out of the car with an “Oof,” Jaejoong, who was following him, was tongue-tied again at the solid security structure. _“_ _He_ _’_ _s really rich..._ _”_

“But isn’t there that kind of thing? The hurdling fans...”

“No one knows my place except for my manager. I used to get really tired because fans raiding to my previous house.”

“Oh....”

_“_ _But my sis knows well you live somewhere in Gangnam...._ _”_ Jaejoong couldn’t say that to Yunho who was boasting about the secrecy of his living place, so he opted to nod instead. _“_ _As expected of my sister...._ _”_

After unlocking a thorough security system from the main gate to the front door of the apartment, they arrived at Yunho's flat. It was a big flat to live alone in. Jaejoong couldn’t help but let his jaw drop. Running all over the house like a country kid who just came to Seoul, opening doors here and there, Jaejoong noisily looked around. Yunho just sat on the sofa, smiling at the sight. After looking around the house, Jaejoong said, “I’m too excited,” before coming to Yunho’s side with his face all red.

Jaejoong carefully sat next to Yunho, looking at the house, and his eyes glistened as if he saw anything different. Yunho who felt Jaejoong’s burdensome shiny stare, pushed the other’s face with his huge hand, making Jaejoong let out a squeak. Jaejoong, who grabbed Yunho's wrist with his two hands and pulled it down, laughed and laid down on Yunho’s leg.

“Hey. What the hell?”

“Why~ It’s comfy as hell! Hihihi. I made a good friend. His house is super big and so are his hands....”

“Seriously...”

Yunho was dumbfounded at Jaejoong, who was lying on his leg why playing with his hands and mumbling, but then he laughed.

“Your hands are really big...”

“Yours are just small, punk.”

“Really now?”

Jaejoong put their hands together to compare the size. Their hand sizes differed to the point where almost half the joints differed. Yunho smiled and looked down at Jaejoong, who was giggling at whatever he found funny from his small hands. Jaejoong’s pale cheeks were colored slightly red. _“_ _Does he like my house that much... Or is it funny that my hands are big...?_ _”_ Yunho thought while smiling and looking down at Jaejoong. He thought that he should bring Jaejoong to his house more in the future.

Jaejoong, who had been playing with Yunho's hands for a long time, suddenly got up and spoke,

“Oh, you haven’t had lunch right? Should I make something? I’m really good at cooking! My sis always ask me to make one everyday.”

“Dunno... Haven’t thought of it.”

“Who cares, just eat!”

Ever since he got here, he had been smiling like that. Jaejoong went to the kitchen after nagging Yunho about eating. Jaejoong didn’t go to the kitchen when he looked around earlier, so now he let out another sound of admiration. When Jaejoong, who had a gentle smile on his mouth, stood up, Yunho, who looked down at his now empty legs, took his ringing cell phone from his pocket. It was from his manager.

“What?”

< “Oh, Yunho- _ya_. You know there's a music video recording for the 3rd follow-up song in the evening, right?” >

“Hm.”

< “Are you resting well, right now?” >

“Don’t bother.”

< “Okay. I’ll pick you up at 6.” >

“Whatever.”

< “I’m hanging up.” >

As soon as he heard his manager finish talking, Yunho scarily closed his phone. He put back his phone in his pocket. He didn’t know when the other walked to him, but Jaejoong stood in front of him with a pair of chopsticks in his hand. Yunho smiled at Jaejoong, whose cheeks were red, sucking on the chopsticks. Jaejoong tilted his head and asked,

“Were you angry?”

“What?”

“Who was on the phone? Did you fight?”

“Phone? My manager. Why would we fight? Why are you asking?”

“The way you speak... made it seem like you were angry... Well... Like _“_ _What._ _”_ _“_ _Hm._ _”_ Things like that.” 

Jaejoong’s questions were incomprehensible to Yunho. He just picked up and hung up the call as he normally would. Why would Jaejoong think of that? Not just at his manager, but he had been doing that to everyone who called him. Well, maybe to Jaejoong who had never heard of Yunho’s way of speaking, he sounded like he was angry.

Unknowingly to himself, his attitude towards Jaejoong differs 180 degrees from his treatment to everyone else he knew.


	15. YJ Project - Chapter 15.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty boy Kim Jaejoong, after 21 years of living... Finally found the day where he felt the value of his own face.

Jaejoong searched the fridge to find various vegetables and cut them into small pieces to stir-fry them with rice to make omurice. The eggs were cooked beautifully and placed on top of the fried rice. Feeling good, Jaejoong smiled and put the finished omurice on the table, poked his face towards the living room and called out to Yunho, who was sitting on the sofa while watching the TV.

“The food is done. Come and eat~”

Yunho, who was called by Jaejoong, turned the TV off with the remote control and got up from the couch. He scratched the back of his head while walking, and Jaejoong thought that he looked cool. _“_ _This is what you call prints, huh. His whole life is a pictorial...._ _”_ Jaejoong blinked his eyes once or twice before coming back to his sense and walked to the table. He pulled out the chair and sat down. Yunho sat with him on the opposite side.

“I really don't have any thoughts.”

“At times like this, you should say “Thank you for the food”!”

“I’ll eat well.”

“What did I say just now?”Jaejoong curtly picked up his spoon. He hasn’t eaten since morning, so he’s really hungry. Unlike him who was eating enthusiastically, Yunho was nibbling on his food. Yunho ate a couple of spoons and looked at Jaejoong who was eating. Jaejoong, who felt the stare, took the spoon out of his mouth and slowly lowered his head. His cheeks heated up when he met Yunho's eyes staring at him with both corners of his mouth slightly raised.

“Wh-what?”

“Nothing. You ate so well. Is the food you make taste that good?”

“Then, does it taste bad?”

“No, it’s delicious.”

As he shook the spoon he was holding in front of his eyes, Yunho took a big spoonful. Jaejoong chewed the food that had been stuffed in cheek, cheeks redder than when he first played with Yunho's hand earlier. Yunho took a bite, thinking he wanted to poke Jaejoong's plump cheek.

On the other hand, Jaejoong was wondering why he was suddenly surprised when his eyes met Yunho’s just now. It wasn’t even once or twice that Yunho stared at him like that, but every time, Jaejoong would turn red with surprise. His skin doesn't change color often, but it was always like that when he was with Yunho. The reddening would even reach the back of his hand. Jaejoong slapped his already red-hot hand meaninglessly and ate the food again.

Yunho started to eat as soon as he tasted it after biting off a few spoons. Jaejoong, who was eating alone earlier, stopped his spoons for a while after finding that Yunho was eating well.

“How do you usually eat at home?”

“Hm.... The housekeeper would make me food. She didn't do it today because I'm supposed to go out and eat.”

“Then you must eat well?”

“Not really. Even if there’s food I usually skip on them.”

Jaejoong nodded, listening to Yunho’s words. He was glad that Yunho had a housekeeper to cook for him, but listening to his words after that, those thoughts faded away. He was worried for Yunho’s health and every single thing in Yunho’s life. As he inflated his cheeks with air, not rice, Jaejoong was crushing a grain of rice with his spoon. At the sight, Yunho throws a word,

“Why are you playing with your food? If you’re not gonna eat it, then give it to me.”

_“_ _Who was it again who said he doesn_ _’_ _t have any thoughts of this?_ _”_ Jaejoong, who had been somewhat full, grumbled inwardly and readily handed over the plate of omurice.

“The almighty U-Know is eating leftovers. You have had to live long to be able to see this,” Jaejoong said with a giggle.

“It’s delicious, though,” replied Yunho, which made Jaejoong turn wide-eyed.

After emptying the plate clean, Jaejoong washed the dishes cleanly. Yunho looked displeased and put on a sour look. “You're supposed to stack the dirty dishes.” At Yunho's words, Jaejoong just laughed and slapped him on the back.

Jaejoong left the kitchen and ran towards Yunho’s bedroom. When he first came here, his favorite room was the bedroom. All of the other rooms are also spacious, but he felt like they were filled with various objects. His room is spacious, it wasn’t filled with furniture and stuffs, so it felt kind of empty, but the bed was big enough to fill the empty space in the room. Jaejoong hopped up on the big, awesome bed.

Yunho, who followed Jaejoong into the bedroom, frowned at Jaejoong as he looked up at him on the bed. “What are you doing there?” he asked, and Jaejoong answered, “Being a nuisance.” As Yunho wondered what that meant, Jaejoong rolled on his feet with a hand on his waist. His feet fell off the bed and he put them together quickly. _“_ _He_ _’_ _s not even a kid... What is he even doing?_ _”_

“Oh my God, the elasticity! So you use expensive bed, huh. The feeling is different! I can’t bounce if I jump on my bed. It’ll only go “thunk”. It wasn’t even made out of rock...”

Jaejoong who found jumping on the fluffy bed fun, flapped more for a few times. Yunho let out a huff and looked up. When Yunho himself stood on the bed, his head touched the ceiling and it was impossible to jump. Jaejoong who was a little shorter jumps well on the bed. At the childlike behavior, Yunho turned around and stepped back. At that time, Jaejoong suddenly shouted “Incoming~~” making Yunho turn back to face him.

 ** ***creak***** Yunho was wondering what kind of sound that was. Jaejoong thought he had to get out of bed, and then made his last jump. He flew straight to Yunho. Opening his arms in a daze, Yunho caught Jaejoong, holding him by the waist with one hand and propping himself in place so that he wouldn't fall with the other hand. Jaejoong had his arms wrapped around Yunho's neck and held him tightly with his legs to keep himself from falling off.

At the sudden occurrence, Yunho blinked his eyes at Jaejoong's face which was right in front of his nose. Jaejoong also blinked his big eyes along with Yunho, as if he was surprised when he flew in. Not to mention, both of his cheeks are red. Not many seconds later, Jaejoong burst into a laughter. Then, Yunho smiled hollowly.

“Come down now?”

“Ehhh, don’t wanna. Please suffer a little more, Jung Yunho.”

“Seriously....”

Before he knew it, Jaejoong latched onto Yunho like a koala on a tree, finding the posture comfortable. He didn't even think about the fact that he might be heavy. For Yunho, who had walked with Jaejoong on his back for several minutes, doesn't find it hard to do this. It was just a little flustering.

Jaejoong put his arm around Yunho's neck a little stronger and put his face onto his shoulder. It was a complete hug. But somehow, Jaejoong didn’t want to get out of Yunho’s embrace. Being carried on his back, being hugged, those things were supposed to be awkward to do between friends, but doing those with Yunho felt really comfortable. He doesn’t know about Yunho, but he felt happy at those times.

After holding Jaejoong in his arms for a long time, Yunho moved slowly and sat on his bed. Then Jaejoong put his legs around Yunho's waist on the bed and sat on top of Yunho. His face was still stuck on Yunho's shoulder. Yunho then pulled his shoulders back a little and grabbed Jaejoong's face with both hands and took it off his shoulder. It was funny to see his lips all pouted up and his eyes blinking.

“You a kid?”

“Tch. This felt nice, y’know?”

“You _are_ a kid.”

Yunho put his hands under Jaejoong's armpits and lifted him slightly to the floor, shook his clothes and got out of bed. After patting the sullen Jaejoong's head, Yunho left the bedroom. Jaejoong's heart was beating a little faster than usual when he started nagging at Yunho because the other kept patting his head.

* * *

“Really? Yeah.... Ahh I see... Eh? Nah, it was nothing important. Anyway, thank you _oppa_ ~”

Mian hung up the call. As soon as she did, the rest of the group quickly huddled her.

“What did he say?”

“Is it true?”

“Ah, come on just say it fast! Argh, so frustrating!”

Mian put up her hand, gesturing Ahjoong, Young, and Malsook to calm down, and they finally tried to do so. Just now, Mian was calling her older brother, who is a high-positioned PD in a broadcast station, and is friends with U-Know’s manager, and is one of the huge background the women had as a connection. That reason why they huddled her was because they wanted to hear the answer regarding the news they just got about U-Know. They were all frantic and clinging to Mian.

Mian sighed momentarily. The rest swallowed their saliva, trying to hide the ominous feeling that came from the sight. Breaking the silence after a while, Mian opened her mouth to speak.

“He said no.”

“Eh?”

“There's only one person he’s been seeing in private these days, but he said he's a man. They seemed to had gotten close these days, and he said he has long hair and is on the thin side? _Oppa_ said he asked U-Know’s manager and he got really dumbfounded, asking where the hell did we hear that from, and laughed. He said, does U-Know look like someone who would date a girl to us?”

Miyeon, who was constantly spitting out the phone conversations, had a brighter face. Not only Mian, but the others also sighed in relief one by one, and started to smile.

“See! One of my deductions was right! It wasn’t a woman, but a long-haired man!”

“But there’s no guarantee that the person he carried that day was that man.”

“He was the only person U-Know have been meeting in private, you know.”

“And why are you sighing while you're talking about this!”

Young hit Mian in frustration, but her face is all smiles. “What girlfriend? We’re all the dead bitches for not believing U-Know!” Everyone nodded at Young who rubbed her own face harshly.

And then, they all smiled and gave each other a high five.

“As expected, Jaejoong is the only one for U-Know! Go! Go! YunJae-Making! Fighting!”

“Yeah baby!!” They even rapped weirdly and laughing as if they had been drinking.

“Shouldn't we stop by for a toast?” asked Young, which was agreed by the rest, so they stood in a flutter, but stopped when they heard a sound coming from the front door. When they turned their head and looked at the door at the same time, they saw their hope, Kim Jaejoong, coming in.

Since they just cleared a misunderstanding, they were even more excited to see Jaejoong because they were in a good mood. When they saw Jaejoong wanting to run away somewhere when he saw them, Malsook ran and grabbed him by the arm. “Our pretty Jaejoongie is here!” she pulled him, who had a face like he’s about to cry.

“Hey. Where did you go this morning that you just came home now?”

“Ah...”

“Hey, Kim Ahjoong! Why are you nagging at your pretty brother when he just came in?”

Young’s voice defended Jaejoong, who was shrinking at Ahjoong’s abrupt nitpicking. Jaejoong got even more intimidated. She was defending him, but it didn’t feel like so... Jaejoong laughed awkwardly, and tried to flee to his room. After being caught a few more times, got his head patted, his cheeks pinched, he finally escaped. He ran to his bedroom with quivering teeth, took off his clothes and threw himself on the bed.

“The always and ever so scary _nunas_...” As he straightened his hair, Jaejoong shook his head once again. Sometimes when one of them would sleep in this house, Jaejoong would surely lock the door. They were really the number one fear for Jaejoong. He wondered if there’s such other irony in the world. Such things like a perfectly capable younger brother who loathes his older sister's friends because he's scared of them...

After changing his clothes, Jaejoong didn't have the courage to go out to the living room to wash up, so he just laid down on the bed. When he was looking up at the white ceiling with his ears blocking the sound of laughter coming from outside, only one person’s face popped up. That face kept popping up without him thinking. Even after tens of minutes, he kept looking at that face. Jung Yunho’s face.

It's hard to describe that handsome face only by thinking because it's not in front of him. It was hard to remember because he was worried that there would be some parts that was less perfect than that face. His chest raised slightly, letting out a small sigh. When he raised his hand and put it on his chest, he could feel his heart pounding. The more he thought about Yunho's face, from his forehead to the tip of his chin, the faster his heart beats in his palm.

He frowned his forehead, wondering what the hell is happening. Taking his hand off his chest, Jaejoong sprang up from the bed. He picked up the cell phone that he put on the desk and slid the phone up. He could see Yunho's face again. Obviously, only the blue sky and calendar are on the screen, so why is seeing Yunho's face from here? Jaejoong, threw the phone to the back, on the direction of the bed, hugged his knee and put his chin on it.

He thought about what had happened at Yunho’s house earlier. He thought about doing those things with Jungwoo. Immediately, he went “Huweek,” feeling like he was about to throw up. Both Yunho and Jungwoo are his friends, but why is it so different? Is it because one is an old friend, and the other is new? Even if he thought about it, he never did similar things with Jungwoo when they just became friends.

It came to his mind out of the blue, but he was glad that he didn't put up the bromide he received when he bought Yunho’s third album on the wall. If the bromide had been attached, Jaejoong would surely live his whole life looking at the face. Just looking at etaht face every time they met made him think about him all day long, what will happen if he _really_ looked at his face all day long? He didn't think he could handle it even when he was just thinking about it. Jaejoong hit his innocent knees with his fist.

After a long time being lost in his own thoughts, he heard the sound of the door from the living room. “Bye~ Have fun~ Ah, it’s a pity that you all have to drink at this kind of day,” he heard them greeting each other goodbye and going out of the house. Jaejoong got out of bed, stuck his ear onto the door, and waited until he heard the door shut completely. After the last sound of footsteps disappeared, he heard the sound of the door shutting with a click. At that, Jaejoong sighed in relief and stretched out his hand to open the door. But...

“Aaack!”

Suddenly, Jaejoong, who was just about to open the door, got hit on his head. Ahjoong, who opened the door, was surprised to see Jaejoong squatting on the floor.

“Hey! You should say something if you’re standing in front of the door!”

“Uhuh?? Are you for real? It hurts as hell! Who the heck tells people that they’re standing in front of the door? Those who came in should knock first!”

“Aw, shut it. Does it hurt that bad?”

“Well, duh!”

Well... It seemed like Ahjoong is back in her rude mode. The Ahjoong from the day she dunked down the soju bottle came back again. Honestly, Jaejoong was comfortable with this, but the fact that she asked him if he was hurt felt so womanly and all, and Jaejoong seriously hated that to the point of wanting to wreck everything up. After a few seconds of worrying remarks, Ahjoong just entered Jaejoong's room and sat on his bed.

“Ah, what the hell? Why are you coming in?”

“Because I want to talk to my little brother, duh! That’s why I purposefully bailed out on my friends.”

“Why? Why can’t you just go out with them?”

“Look at this crude kid.”

_“_ _Who_ _’_ _s crude again?? I can_ _’_ _t with this._ _”_ Jaejoong gently rubbed his forehead with his hand and got up and sat down on the chair. She had the audacity to sit on the bed, not remembering going nuts and throwing a fit when Jaejoong came to her room before. With his teeth grinding, Jaejoong sat on a chair, shouting, “What what what is it?! Say it quick and get out!!” Ahjoong then nods, saying, “Got it.”

“Kim Jaejoong. You have a girlfriend, don’t you?”

“....Huh?”

“You’re going out too much these days. Why is a kid, who don’t even go out except when he has a part-time job, is going out so much? I asked Kang Jungwoo and he said he didn’t meet you. Tell the truth, bastard. If you really have a girlfriend, you’ll die in my hands.”

Jaejoong vaguely smiled at the ridiculous question. Not a smirk, not a real smile. Jaejoong's head began to spin, wondering what he should tell his sister.

“W-well, if I do have a girlfriend, what are you gonna do?”

“.....For real?”

“N-no!”

He thought that he should lie about having a girlfriend. When he set his heart on it, Jaejoong shrunk again because of Ahjoong's fierce pose, asking if it was real. Looks like this lie is not it. His mind is spinning again in thought. What he should answer in this situation.... That’s right! He should change the subject!

“Oh, _Nuna_! I have something to ask.”

“Don't even try anything useless. It's no use changing the subject. Just explain what I asked.”

“It’s reaa~lly important, you know? He might die if you don’t answer this now.”

“What.... Is this about Kang Jungwoo? He’ll die if I don’t date him?”

“No, that’s not it!”

_“_ _This actually works a bit..._ _”_ Jaejoong, who was relieved to see Ahjoong who had been a little less inquisitive, was shortly shocked by his good work. He always thought at times like this, but how can she say that with her own mouth? Jaejoong spun his mind again and stopped at a question in his head. Instead of changing the subject, why not solve the questions that actually concerned him?

“ _Nuna._ ”

“What is it?”

“You know, I have a friend who’s going crazy these days.”

“Is it Kang Jungwoo? Going crazy because of me?”

“Urgh, I told you it’s not about him!”

He tried to suppress the urge to pull on Ahjoong’s hair who keeps talking about Jungwoo. He began to unravel his troubles to Ahjoong, as if they belonged to someone else.

“Okay... So, this friend recently went out with a friend. Not a girlfriend, just a friend. Someone introduced them together, and they quickly got closer.”

“Who is it?”

“Just hear it out. But the friend that he got closer to is extremely handsome. Even when fellow men look at him, he’s really handsome. But―”

“Oh oh! Who is it??”

“Urgh, stop cutting me off! Anyway, that super handsome guy is really strong and is pretty brusque, but sometimes he’d be nice. But my friend always got his cheeks red every time he sees the handsome guy’s face. Even when they parted ways and got home, he kept thinking about the guy’s face, and his heart would beat faster. When they were together, he’d felt the happiest. He thought he should have felt disgusted when they held hands, gotten carried on his back, or when they hugged, because they were both men, but he didn’t feel any of those. Rather, he felt comfortable.”

Ahjoong's expressions changed strangely while listening to Jaejoong's words. Blinking her eyes like crazy, and smiling... Her expression was severely distorted.

“Hey. Is this about you?”

“Huh? N-no!”

“Fuck. What kind of fucker made your heart beat faster?”

“I-I said it’s not about me!”

“Then who?!”

“His name is K-Kim Youngwoong.”

“Kim Youngwoong? Sounds kinda familiar...”

Even when he said it on his own, he was so embarrassed that he could die. He shouldn’t have said that. There’s no way the sharp Ahjoong wouldn’t notice this. When he was about to give in, Ahjoong’s expression suddenly changed. Her face, which seemed to be so angry, was completely relaxed.

“Ah... Kim Youngwoon? Your fellow part-timer?”

Ahjoong remembered calling the number that she thought could be U-Know from Jaejoong’s phone. Unfortunately, a man named Kim Youngwoon, not U-Know, picked up the call. She remembered the name because it was a phone call that she put her whole thought into. That’s why, Jaejoong’s made up name, Kim Youngwoong, sounded like Kim Youngwoon to her.

Jaejoong nodded wildly, embarrassed by Ahjoong’s sudden words. For now, he thought he should move on from this crisis. _“_ _Who the hell is Kim Youngwoon again?_ _”_ he asked to himself. Jaejoong had no choice but to stare blankly at Ahjoong, who was in a state of giggling and making perverted laughs.

“Ahh I’m going crazy. Hey, does that Kim Youngwoon kid look pretty?”

“H-huh? Uh... M-maybe? I don’t know that well, but many people said so.”

“Kyaahh~ Hey, introduce him to me sometimes!! Along with that handsome kid that made his heart beat faster!!! Aaaaahhh I really love these kind of things!!”

_“_ _Why is she suddenly like this...?_ _”_ Jaejoong shrunk away, stealing glances at Ahjoong who kept howling. She was laughing out loud and giggling at the same time.

“Wh-what’s wrong with you?”

“This is too awesome... Hey, say this to that Kim Youngwoon kid properly. He might get shocked.”

“Huh?”

“Kyaahh~ to think that something like this is happening around me... And to think that it was between a pretty guy and a handsome guy..... Ooofff this is the best!!!”

“ _Nu-nuna?_ ”

“Jaejoong- _ah_ , you really can’t tell by just looking? He likes him! That Youngwoon guy, to that handsome friend!”

_“_ _Like? Of course. I know that much. I really like Yunho._ _”_

“That’s why, listen well, Jaejoong- _ah_. Things like lovers.... It’s not only between a man and a woman. It could happen between a man and a man, or between a woman and a woman... Well... Anyways, it’s obvious that Youngwoon kid likes men. Oh, has he felt something like this towards another man before? Ask him that the next time you meet him.”

“N-no. He said no.”

“Wow... This is something else. He made a guy who’s not even gay to feel like that.... That handsome guy must be extremely handsome. Anyway, you should tell this to that Youngwoon kid carefully. He’d probably get shocked. I hope things go well between them...”

Jaejoong couldn’t comprehend any words coming from Ahjoong right now. Saying words like “gay”... and even lovers?

_“_ _Then... that must mean.... I.... towards Yunho...._ _”_

Just what was it that she found so funny? Ahjoong laughed boisterously. “I should tell this to Young- _eonni~_ _”_ Jaejoong stared at Ahjoong’s back in vain as she went to the living room. His whole body stiffened like a statue.

Pretty boy Kim Jaejoong, after 21 years of living... Finally found the day where he felt the value of his own face.


	16. YJ Project - Chapter 16.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “.........This is my house......”

Yunho, who had a schedule all night, was not able to enter the house until morning. Swiping his slightly disheveled hair, he stepped into the living room, taking off his shoes roughly. Taking a deep breath, sitting down on the sofa, Yunho leaned his head back. His eyes were stiff, but he couldn't sleep. Somehow in this atmosphere, Yunho thought, that it’ll be perfect to smoke a cigarette, but the cigarette won't be found anywhere in the house. Yunho chuckled at the thought.

Yunho, who was wiping on his face with both hands, suddenly jumped out of the sofa and headed to the bathroom to actually wash his face. He wondered why he couldn't fall asleep even though he hasn't been able to sleep for hours. After washing his face with cold water, he felt the need to sleep coming closer. Waterdrops were dripping from Yunho's face, who then locked the water faucet and put his arms on the sink. A low sigh came out from his lips which are wet with drops of water.

Somehow... He felt kinda empty. The kind of emptiness that he felt the need to fill with something. Why is it like this? What does he need? Yunho removed his hands from the sink and wiped the moisture off his face with a towel. With a hand in one pocket of his pants, he walked to the room where the computer was. As he sat on the chair like a habit and, turned the computer on, someone's face came to his mind. Come to think of it, he hasn't been in touch with Jaejoong for a while.

Since they became closer, Jaejoong almost always sent a text message first. But Yunho remembered that he hadn't texted or called in the last few days. Did he forget? Maybe he already got buried in his own life? Maybe that’s why it felt so empty? He raised his index finger and scratched his chin. No matter often they get in touch, now that they lost contact for only a few days, Yunho felt Jaejoong’s voice becoming more faint in his head.

Yunho slowly gave up his thoughts about Jaejoong’s voice and started browsing the internet. After the repeated meaningless clicks, Yunho, who had the cursor on the search box, was briefly troubled. What letters should he put into the box? After a short time of thinking, he typed “Kim Jaejoong” with his keyboard and pressed on the enter key. Jaejoong’s profile and pictures filled the search result column. Yunho, who hadn’t seen Jaejoong’s face these last few days, felt a small smile filling his lips. He began tapping on the corner of the desk with his finger, one of his eyebrows slightly raised.

He picked up the USB that was stuck on the corner of the desk and connected his cell phone with the computer. Then, with a slight mischievous smile, he copied some of Jaejoong’s photos to his phone. It was so that when he flipped his phone open and check the picture, and he’d see Jaejoong's face. Since they can’t be together all day, he thought that he should try this instead. When he finished moving the photos, Yunho unlocked his phone and checked it out. This picture of Jaejoong sitting on the sofa while reading a book, is his favorite one. Reminded of 3 years ago, Yunho smiled again.

The memory of the past, of Yunho who was young and childish, who thought that it would be nice to get close to the good-looking kid. It doesn’t feel real that he had to throw away that wish. It was because that was a relationship between friends. He remembered that if it was a relationship between a man and a woman, he wouldn’t have been so active in pursuing it. Yunho poked the picture of Jaejoong on his phone.

He was in a completely different position now than he was three years ago. He wasn’t Yunho who was interested in the handsome and popular part-timer, but U-Know the singer and his commoner friend Kim Jaejoong, who were as different as the sky and the ground. Even if he told Jaejoong about their first encounter, he would never remember. Unless he is a genius, how could he remember Yunho, who was only one of the hundreds of people that he met every day at the comic shop? With a bitter smile on his face, Yunho looked back at the face in front of him, following Jaejoong’s pose in the picture and put his chin on his hand.

“I miss you...”

* * *

“I’m here~~!!”

Jungwoo, who appeared in a noisy manner, suddenly opened Jaejoong's room’s door with loud footsteps. Jaejoong, struggling with boredom and scratching the floor, jerked his head up in surprise as the door burst open. Jaejoong rose his body up when he saw Jungwoo smiling awkwardly.

“You’re surprised huh? Of course, you are!”

“Argh, this is crazy... Why are you here?”

“This ass, being cynital and all... I know you’re happy to see me, you punk.”

“It’s cynical, not cynital.”

“W-well anyways!”

_“_ _He_ _’_ _s obviously avoiding that one._ _”_ Jaejoong climbed up his bed with a chuckle. He was actually kind of glad to see Jungwoo suddenly barging in. How bored was he to the point of scratching the floor? Jaejoong tried hard to pretend to be calm and laughed at the flustered Jungwoo.

He couldn’t meet Yunho who would have meet him everyday if he was free for the last few days. He also had nowhere to go except for the part-time job. His life was continuously boring. Besides, Yunho wouldn’t text Jaejoong if Jaejoong didn’t send one first. He doesn’t know if Yunho is that busy that he doesn’t have the time to abruptly call him like usual. In fact, Jaejoong might have refused him if he asked to meet, because he couldn’t bear the awkwardness.

Jaejoong still couldn’t completely comprehend what Ahjoong said that day. No, actually he didn’t understand at all. But if he had to face Yunho in this situation... How will his heart react this time?

“So... How’s Ahjoong- _nunim_?”

Jaejoong, who was thinking by himself, came to his senses thanks to Jungwoo’s voice. This bastard going off about Kim Ahjoong here and there... He doesn’t even know what that woman thought of him.

“She went out earlier.”

“Dammit! I’m actually here to see Ahjoongie- _nuna,_ though!”

“Then get lost?”

“Eehh of course not~ I’m here to see Jaejoongie uwu~”

“No, seriously, fuck off.”

Waving his hands out, Jaejoong kicked Jungwoo, who crept up onto the bed. The kick was pretty strong that he fell to the floor right away. Hugging his knees and being timid, he scratched the floor as if he was recreating Jaejoong's appearance earlier. When Jaejoong saw that, he sucked on his tongue and threw the pillow at Jungwoo. Jungwoo screamed and then clicked his tongue because he felt pathetic.

“How is a guy who’s going to the army in a month behave like this? You'll probably get beaten up all the time by the veterans when you're in the army.” Jaejoong scolded his friend. Growling, Jungwoo threw a fit again. After a long time, they fought a little more roughly with pillows flying around. Getting tired, they shouted, “Time!”

“Anyway, this ain’t it. I’m here to play, not fight.”

“Fuck off, asshole.”

“Oh, look at you picking a fight again.”

“Nonsense.”

It came to the point that they couldn’t converse without throwing profanities. That was how it is when he was with Jungwoo. Even when he thought of his other friends, this is just how friends are. But what about Yunho? Jaejoong’s thought flew that way again after such a small trigger. Perhaps because they threw the pillow and hit each other so many times, the room became dusty. Jungwoo freaked out at the dusty room and opened the window wide. Feeling the cold air, Jaejoong crawled under the blanket.

On the other hand, Jungwoo felt hot, perhaps because he was too worked up, that he wiped the sweat off his forehead and threw his jacket off the corner. Then, he sat with his long legs stretched out on the floor and leaned his back on the closet. And out of habit, he reached inside his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, putting it in his mouth. Jaejoong immediately shouted, “Are you crazy?!” hatefully and threw the pillow at Jungwoo again. “What do I do if my room reek of cigarette, you bastard!” he shouted. Jungwoo went “I get it, I get it,” and apologized, putting back the cigarette stick inside his pocket.

“Ah... Now that we’re not fighting anymore, I’m bored.”

“Then go away.”

“This bastard is saying that again. If I leave, you’d be scratching the floor again.”

“Dammit...”

He suddenly missed Yunho. Compared to that crude bastard of a friend, Yunho is more.... Wait. Yunho is also a friend. But he’s not... a bastard friend. Once again, Jaejoong's mind became complicated. He shook his head as if he was trying to shake it off. Jungwoo asked “W-what are you doing?” confused at the action. Then, after thinking for a long time, Jungwoo said,

“Bingo! Let’s play bingo!”

“Fuck off.”

“Hey~~ You’re bored right? Let’s play!”

He seriously wanted to use emoticons. That veins popping emoticon... Without needing the emoticons, and having an expression as if there really were veins popping on his forehead, Jaejoong threw the last remaining pillow.

“Ah, why!! That’s fun, no? I always tried my best playing that with the girls from the primary school!”

“Then go to a primary school and play with a girl from there.”

“Ah, Kim Jaejoong~”

“Is this for real...”

Out of nowhere, Jungwoo threw a pen and a book to Jaejoong. Speechless, he glanced at Jungwoo who had a smirk on his face. “The theme is... Curse words!!!” He could see Jungwoo trying his best writing lines on the book. Feeling excited, he drew 25 blank spaces, filling them with words like “Bullshit”, “Bitch”, etc. Jaejoong had no pillows to throw anymore. Exhaling a breath, he opted to use the pen and book as an ammo, and threw them at Jungwoo. “Okay!” he hit the mark.

“Fuck!!” Jungwoo, who got hit on the corner on his forehead, stood up and cursed.

“Fuck? Is that the word you’ve been writing?” Jaejoong laughed.

“This ruthless motherfucker, why am I friends with a bastard like you...” Jungwoo, who was busy grinding his teeth, wondered about their friend status. Then suddenly, he stomped his feet harshly. His frame is big so Jaejoong could feel his bed shaking at the loud stomping.

“What are you doing?”

“Motherfucker, come down here and I’m gonna scold the hell out of you, you fucking asshole. I’ll make it as loud as fuck.”

“.........This is my house......”

Jaejoong spoke, dumbfounded at the situation. Jungwoo suddenly stopped his two feet and gave a blank look. “Right...” He murmured and sat down, looking at Jaejoong who laughed hard at him to the point that the whites of his eyes are showing. “It really feels like I’m playing with a kid...” Jaejoong dug deeper into his blanket. “How childish is childish anyway?” Clicking his tongue again, he said “Close the door. It’s cold,” which was answered by Jungwoo’s “Bleh.”

“...Damn, it’s 11 a.m. I have to leave. Kim Jaejoong you bastard, you’re dead next time, you asshole!”

Jungwoo, who was muttering on the floor, suddenly looked at his watch and jumped up. And then without Jaejoong being able to clearly hear what he was saying, he quickly wore his jacket and went out of the room, shouting some more cuss words. Jaejoong was surprised and called up Jungwoo, who came down from his bed and left the front door.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“I was just passing by yours. Do the bingo alone~”

“Hey! Hey!”

He was in such a hurry that Jaejoong’s call was completely ignored, running from the scene quickly. At that, Jaejoong tilted his head, asking himself, “What bingo bullshit?” and twisted his lips. “Argh, I’m really bored.” After Jungwoo left, Jaejoong felt the quietness again, pouting his lips and putting on a sullen look. “Guess I’ll scratch the floor some more...”

It's been a while since the window opened, so Jaejoong quickly closed the window, leaving the room full of cold energy. Then, he goes back into the blanket, “Do I really have to live like a loser like this?” He felt sorry for himself. Then, he heard alarming sound of a powerful vibration. _“_ _What is it this time, and with such power too._ _”_ Hetook the trouble to get out of the bed and look around the room. He could see his mobile phone vibrating from a close distance just before falling off the bookshelf.

Brushing his hair with his hand while picking up the phone, he saw the name on the screen that made him freeze. [Cool Guy]... So this is how they're gonna bump into each other. Feeling that he had to bring out the feelings he had been putting off, Jaejoong kept thinking before he picked up the call. He was standing still, biting his lower lip, but then the vibration was cut off. At that, he sighed in relief, rubbing down his chest. But not long after, another powerful vibration came up.

He really couldn’t do anything anymore. Jaejoong was about to cry and eventually pressed the answer button and picked up the phone to his ear. Even if he didn't hear a voice right over the phone, he could hear a familiar breath. Jaejoong kept his mouth shut. Yunho, who was waiting for the “Hello” greeting he usually did, gave up and started talking first.

< “What are you doing?” >

“Ah... Nothing...”

< “Busy these days?” >

“Um... No.”

It was hard to answer. Trying to keep his heart from beating hard again, trying to deny it...

< “Wanna come over?” >

“Huh?”

< “You know the way right?” >

“Oh... Yeah.”

< “See you later, then.” >

He hung up the call even before Jaejoong could say yes or no. But there's no time to panic, because he’s going to have to go to Yunho's house. Standing still in his place, Jaejoong clasped the disconnected phone in his hand. _“_ _What do I do... I can_ _’_ _t call him back.... No, but can I just not go? Or... Argh, what do I do, seriously?_ _”_

Jaejoong stomped his feet and eventually got dressed. No matter how it is, he thought this was a problem that shouldn’t be put off like this. Jaejoong really liked Yunho. It was true that the friendly feelings had become another kind of feelings, but it occurred to him that it would be uncomfortable if he just kept rolling his feet around like this. If he realized that he really felt something more than friendly feelings for Yunho when they meet later, then he really have to crush those feelings. Yeah, he'd rather admit it and then erase everything after.

* * *

Yunho is as cool as always. His slightly sleepy eyes looked down at Jaejoong. Jaejoong felt another kind of charm from the man. Jaejoong is cherishing all of this in his frantically thumping heart. _“_ _It_ _’_ _s because this man is a celeb. Because this man is dazzlingly gorgeous. But... Why do I feel like crying?_ _”_

“Oh, you did good finding my house.”

“You think I’m stupid? Can’t even find a house?”

“You’re a baby, that’s why.”

_“_ _I like the playful smile, the big hand patting my head."_

“What’s up? Not getting annoyed?”

“Nah. Did you eat breakfast? Lunch?”

“Of course food is the most important thing to you.”

_“_ _I like the sweet, soft voice, that seemed to be directed only at me._ _”_

“Why did you tell me to come?”

“Just because. I was bored.”

“Wh...”

_“_ I _love h_ _is wide back_ _, his longs arms stretching out_ _.”_

_“_ _I really like him..."_

Yunho left Jaejoong behind and went into the bedroom. Then, he climbed onto the bed and laid down. “What the hell, you asked me to come!” Jaejoong got annoyed, making Yunho chuckle and close his eyes. He was sure he couldn't sleep, but when he saw Jaejoong's face, he felt the thing that had been blocking his sleep fade away, and he began to fall asleep. “It’s been a long time, so I should play with you, Kim Jaejoong, but...” he mumbled before yawning.

Yunho made a gesture to Jaejoong, who was standing in front of the door, asking him to come in. When Jaejoong walked near his bed with a small step, Yunho lifted his blanket and patted the spot next to him. Jaejoong had a “what do you want?” expression on his face. Yunho then said, “Quick,” to Jaejoong, who seemed to think for a moment before laying down next to him.

“I suddenly got sleepy, so I should sleep. You’ll be bored alone. That’s why, let’s sleep together.”

“You stayed up all night, huh...”

“Yeah....”

He was already half-asleep. Jaejoong only watched Yunho's face as he lowered his eyelids and breathed out slowly. He checked the back of his hand and found that they were almost totally red. The sound of his pounding heart was obvious too. He was worried that Yunho might be able to hear it too.

Backing out a bit, he stared at Yunho’s face. He let out a slightly shaky breath. He knew for sure now. He understood every and each of Ahjoong’s words. What Jaejoong wants with Yunho definitely... Not an arm around the shoulder, but an embrace. Not a bumping of their fists, but the meeting of their lips. He was surprised at himself for having these thoughts, but... these are the truths.

He slowly extended his hand to Yunho's face. When he put his hand on Yunho’s soft cheek, he realized that it was his first time touching the other’s face like this. Without knowing why, he felt like he was about to cry. _“The idea itself is ridiculous, and I've done it.”_ Jaejoong choked up again, all thanks to this man who would turn his back with no hesitation if he found out about his feelings. He lowered his hand slightly from Yunho’s cheeks to his lips. It was hot. He hated himself for liking even to this lips.

Biting his lower lip, he tried to take his hand off Yunho's face and get off the bed, but he couldn't. Jaejoong’s eyes opened wide. His wrist was caught.

“Yun―”

“Where are you going? I told you to sleep with me.”

_“You... You don't know my heart. That's why you're doing this."_


	17. YJ Project - Chapter 17.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He said it.

Ahjoong came to the internet cafe with Young and was taking care of their main job, YunJae-Making. She was managing the cafe diligently by doing her duty as the admin, but she noticed that the members were decreasing little by little. Ahjoong bit her lip and raised her hand to scrape through her long hair.

“Damn! This is so disheartening.”

“Leaving this beautiful YunJae.... Why are they leaving, really...? 2 people signed up today, but 31 left.”

“Huftt... What do we do, seriously...?”

“Why is it like this?”

The two frowned, staring at the computer, and sighed. The number of members increased frighteningly when there was an event that involved YunJae-Making activities, they even made an event in the cafe... But these days, as they are not as active and there was no progress made by YunJae, the number of people who are falling apart is increasing. Jaejoong even got chosen for the event without them meddling but the main characters still didn’t get close to each other, and the board members even got scolded for not doing their work properly. It hasn’t been long since they escaped the slump after knowing that Yunho didn't have a girlfriend, but they were falling back into the abyss.

The number of the members is on the verge of dropping to four digits. Young and Ahjoong knew they had to do something to solve this urgent situation. Young's hands were messing up her short cut hair before letting out a frustrated “Goddammit!”

“We can’t just let this be!”

“Then what do we do? Even when the heaven connects them together, they didn’t even exchange contact information.”

“We have to think of another method. They’d definitely make some progress if they meet again one more time. They’ve met coincidentally for how many times already.”

“Yeah, but we don’t have any other methods to do. What kind of plan is there anymore?”

“Hmm.....”

Young buried her face in her hands, sighing constantly. “I can't think straight, really.”

“Waiting room, live broadcast, fansi― ah, that one failed... Anyway, it’s not one of our plan, but the fanmeeting..... It goes well so it goes well, and what is there anymore now...”

“It's frustrating that they didn’t even get closer at this rate. For real."

“Is there no more fansigns?”

“That one time failed, didn’t it? Damn, that one should have succeeded.”

Those people who thought the fansigning event had failed, were crying over it. They went to the YunJae-Making cafe and organized the bulletin boards. They answered the questions from the members with all their hearts, but they couldn't stop thinking. They have to come up with one more thing, at the least.

“That’s right! Lee Mian!”

“Huh?”

“Let’s call Lee Mian and arrange something. This might be a little hard, but we should try it at least.”

“What? What is it?”

“We should try using the manager. It might be possible if we ask for help.”

Not really understanding Young’s words, Ahjoong tilted her head. Even after explaining thoroughly to her, she still had her head cocked to one side, so she needs to cut her words in the middle sometimes. Young, who had been holding her forehead in her hands for a moment, suddenly raised her head and clapped once.

“Kim Ahjoong. What’s the way of YunJae-Making?”

“...That....”

“Intended meeting!”

“Intended meeting!”

Unknowingly, Ahjoong uttered those brainwashed words at the same time as Young, and gave her a high five. What kind of plan is coming out of that magnificent head this time?

* * *

Jaejoong, who was caught in the wrist, had to lie down again instead of getting out of the bed. Jaejoong's face turned redder than usual, with his upset heart, and the embarrassment of getting caught touching the other’s face. He looked at Yunho who didn’t open his eyes or let go of his hand. He bit on his lips while looking at that handsome face, and his face softened again.

Jaejoong sighed lightly and dropped his eyelids. His tightly closed eyelids trembled. And when he opened his eyes again, he saw that handsome face right in front of him, and he started feeling suffocated. He felt like getting angry. He needs to let go of this absurd feelings. Both Yunho and him would feel more at ease. But, this man, who doesn’t even know anything, wouldn’t even let that happen.

“I...”

“Am I that good-looking?”

“....”

"It tickles, so stop playing around and just sleep."

Yunho was muttering with his eyes still closed. Jaejoong, who was about to say something, couldn’t help but swallow back his words. Perhaps to prevent him from getting out of the bed, or from touching Yunho’s face, Yunho pulled Jaejoong by his wrist and hugged him. Embarrassed, Jaejoong took a deep breath. As he moved to escape, Yunho hit Jaejoong's back lightly, “Just sleep.”

The breath from Yunho's mouth near his forehead drove Jaejoong crazy. It hasn't been long since he realized that he liked the other, and now he came to hate Yunho for playing with him like this. He was about to hate him, but he's so happy that he's melting away. He didn't know what to do with this situation...

The desire to escape Yunho's arms had disappeared. All he could see in front of him was Yunho's neckline and the Adam's apple that popped out in a masculine way. His hand felt awkward on Yunho's chest, so Jaejoong took his hand with effort out of Yunho’s arms and put it slightly up around the other’s waist.

“Jung Yunho...”

“...Hm?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Do what...?”

“Did you do this with your friend that went to the army?”

“.....”

The sound of their heart beating is so close that it felt like they’re moving towards each other. Far from being stuffy and instead feeling an overwhelming comfort, Jaejoong bit his lower lip. _“_ _Yeah, this isn_ _’_ _t my fault. You_ _’_ _re also at fault, Jung Yunho. Why didn't you just stay still when I jumped and hugged you like a little girl? Why are you hugging me like this without knowing how I feel? You_ _’_ _re making me crazy._ _”_

“So? You did this with him too?”

“....No.”

“Then, why?”

“I don’t know.”

In this situation, Jaejoong felt grateful that Yunho didn't look down and try to make eye contact with Jaejoong. If he was looking at him, Jaejoong would’ve never been able to ask these questions. Yunho kept giving short answers calmly to Jaejoong's questions which seemed to have the intention of attacking him. And then, silence continued for a long time.

 _“I'm_ _over here, feeling_ _so confused and heartbroken,_ _but you_ _’_ _re acting so indifferent, when in actuality, you were the one who made me feel all these weird things._ _”_ As if he was asleep again, Yunho began to breath evenly, his breath hitting Jaejoong's forehead again. As it was hard to bear, Jaejoong twisted his body to try to get out of Yunho's arms. But this time again, it didn't go as well as he wanted. It was because Yunho’s embrace was getting stronger and stronger.

“And? What’s the problem with tthat?”

“......”

“Do I have to do these things with him too?”

“.....That―”

“If it’s comfy, then that’s it. It’s between friends anyway.”

_“_ _Hahhhhh...._ _”_ His nose was burning and his head was ringing irritably. _“_ _Yeah, I also thought that you were that comfortable friend I had. But no. I_ _’_ _m not the same as you.... Friends don_ _’_ _t have these kind of feelings. Now... The time that I thought were enjoyable with you, was no longer fun. This hopelessness of tomorrow. This blackened heart. What are those, even?_ _”_

“You talk too much. I’m really sleepy, Kim Jaejoong.......”

“Jung Yunho.”

“Sleep well.”

“......”

Without even thinking of letting go of Jaejoong, still with Jaejoong embraced tightly in his arms, Yunho fell asleep. For more than an hour, he held his sigh, soothing his bursting heart, enduring his irritation, and Jaejoong eventually fell asleep, following Yunho into the land of dreams. He thought he couldn’t do this anymore. Yunho’s hugs were still as warm, as broad, and as soothing.

He dreamed. He met a huge celebrity, and became close to the other by chance. And then... He came to like his new friend. And the new friend was a guy. And he didn’t know what was so frustrating. He sighed with a hollow smile on his face as he opened his eyes.

“You slept well.”

....... Slowly lifting his eyelids, he saw a new figure.... A really handsome face. He’s wide awake now. Jaejoong opened his eyes wide with a startled sound. Yunho looked down at him, and was talking with a slight smile on his mouth. He was still holding Jaejoong tightly in his arms, with only his head lowered down to look at Jaejoong. It looked like he woke up early.

Jaejoong, who looked really surprised for a while, soon forgot about his dream and understood the situation. _“_ _I was hugging with Jung Yunho on his bed, in his house, fell asleep in his arms, and then had a dream... And those weren_ _’_ _t dreams at all. Those are the memories in my head._ _”_ He was dejected. In fact, he had countless thoughts of wishing that it was all just a dream. If he hadn't had a weird feelings for Jung Yunho― no. If he’d never gotten close to Jung Yunho― no. If Jung Yunho didn’t call his name at the event― no. If he threw away the phone number he got from the fansign― no.... If he didn’t follow his sister on the day he got pushed into the waiting room....

“You look really funny right now. Your eyes are widening and shrinking back and forth, and you’re making all kinds of faces.”

“When did you wake up?”

“Around... 30 minutes ago?”

“What did you do?”

“Looking at your face.”

“...Why?”

“Because you’re handsome.”

.......His words flew away. _“How am I supposed to take you?_ _I have to quickly erase everything, forget everything, but you_ _’_ _re not helping at all. Instead, you choose to show me your other charms._ _”_ Jaejoong is already at the stage where it was difficult to get out of the situation. Everything from Jung Yunho's hair to his feet was wonderful. The assholeness is a big minus, but the kindness that he sometimes only show to Jaejoong, his boldness of answering things without hesitation... Everything is marvelous.

The word “handsome” is something he hasn’t heard in a really long time. Every time, he would hear “pretty”, “feminine”, and other similar things, either from his sister, or his fans, or even his friends. He really doesn't think it should be like this. No matter how hard it is, even if he couldn’t do it, it’s something that he has to do. He thought that he should finish everything when time flows just a little slower than usual. It's impossible to dig Yunho out of his life that's already revolved around him. But, he really had to give up this ridiculous thoughts as soon as possible.

Jaejoong chuckled, and buried himself a little deeper into Yunho’s arms. “You were sulking just now, though?” with a harmless sarcastic remark, Yunho pulled Jaejoong tighter into his arms. Thanks to that, Jaejoong’s heart beats even faster. _“_ _This is the last time,_ _”_ he thought. With his heart pounding like crazy by himself, while being craddled into Yunho’s arms like a baby....

_“_ _Yeah... This is too foolish._ _”_

* * *

[Why didn’t you contact me?]

[Ah, sorry. I forgot. I have to go to Japan in two days.]

[Wow, such nice thing you forgot there. -_-]

His fingers which was typing the text moved so well. But his heart...

“Getting Kim Jaejoong out for a drink. I can go to the army now, man.”

“Spouting nonsense now, you punk?”

Jaejoong arrived at the bar he used to come to with Jungwoo. While waiting for the drinks and snacks he ordered, Jaejoong exchanged texts with Yunho. Ever since he left Yunho's house that day, Jaejoong treated him as casually as possible. Just like right now. All the text messages were made up of automatic finger movements. His fingers were moving so well, but his heart... It wouldn’t move on.

After sending a reply, Jaejoong put his cell phone on the table. Then, he lowered his head and started bumping his forehead repeatedly on the glass table. But still, Yunho's face is all that was in his head. His handsome face is in his head and in his heart, and it doesn't want to leave him alone.

“You nuts? That thirsty for some beer? Should I bring them over for you?”

“Fuck off.”

“You’re gonna break the table. Stop that.”

In a playful quarrel with Jaejoong, Jungwoo grabbed Jaejoong's head with his hands so that he could no longer hit his forehead on the table. But Jaejoong shook Jungwoo's hands off as if he just met a crazy dog. These two seemed to have no seriousness in everything. This would probably happen even until the day before Jungwoo had to enlist.

Jaejoong stopped slamming his forehead on the table, because he didn't want Jungwoo to grab his head again. Jaejoong was still fiddling with his cell phone, leaning against the chair. Jungwoo was starting to get irritated because he doesn't like the fact that all Jaejoong does is text to the point that his fingers became invisible.

“Who are you texting so diligently everyday? You really got a girlfriend, huh?”

“As if.”

“Ahjoong- _nunim_ is really concerned... You’re sus as hell...”

“....You’re in touch with my sis?”

“Huh? N-no? Well, just that one time...”

_“You’re more sus, you punk.”_ Jaejoong frowned when he saw Jungwoo's face suddenly burned red. _“_ _Is my sis poking fun at this bastard?_ _”_ He was getting worried, but suddenly his phone vibrated violently, so he threw out all the concerns.

[I just got home.]

[When are you gonna sleep?]

[Why? Gonna sing me a lullaby?]

[Ewww-ㅠ-]

[What was that?]

In the past, he would have laughed because of Yunho who has no idea what the emojis meant. But now, he couldn't even think of smiling. He just quickly send a reply with no trace of emotions on his face. This is probably a side effect of forcing everything down. But, when he pressed on to force it down... It‘s not doing anything at all to his heart....

He gulped down the beer which was already in front of him for who knows how long. “Eat this too, punk,” Jungwoo said as he gave Jaejoong a bladder moon snail with his chopsticks. But Jaejoong ignored him, and kept drinking everything in one shot. If he can't push it down with his thought, he think he can press it down with alcohol.

“Hey, what’s up with you so suddenly? Did you send the text to your mystery girlfriend?” Jaejoong already got his ears shut that he couldn’t even hear Jungwoo’s teasing. Jaejoong was going crazy over Yunho's face, which became clearer as he drank more alcohol. If this was a wide open space, not an indoor space, he would’ve screamed to spit everything out. Jaejoong felt that it was that hard to bear the feeling of being stuck.

No more text messages came. Actually, it does, but Jaejoong was too drunk to listen to the sound of the vibration. Jungwoo, who was suddenly wondering about Jaejoong’s weird antics, began to drink as if he was going to have a showdown with Jaejoong. He might not feel well because he didn't even eat dinner properly and drank alcohol without eating snacks, but that didn't bother him. It’s just... He kept constantly pouring the drinks because he thought that this might make Jung Yunho look like Kang Jungwoo.

The more he got drunk, the more hopeless he was. _“_ _Comparing Kang Jungwoo who was sitting in front of me to my amazing Jung Yunho, made my amazing Jung Yunho look even more amazing. He kept popping everywhere in my mind._ _”_ Someone kept whispering in his heart.

_“You can't._ _C_ _an't forget._ _C_ _an't let go._ _C_ _an't_ _end_ _it. Friend?_ _Don_ _’_ _t fuck with me_ _.”_

......

_“_ _It felt like m_ _y hands are not my hands_ _anymore. M_ _y lips are not my lips_ _anymore._ _A_ _nd my body is not my body_ _anymore._ _”_ Jaejoong, in the state of unconsciousness, took the phone from the table and slowly push the slider upwards. _“_ _No... This is probably my true self..._ _”_

He doesn’t know how much Jungwoo quietly drank by himself that he had already hit his face on the table and sprawled out. Jaejoong stared hard at his phone for a while. He could see the blue sky and the calendar. And then the numbers 123456789 arranged in three columns... Above them, there’s a call button....... He moved his finger slightly and pressed on the blue button. He pressed on it once again. He doesn’t know who is he calling to right now.

After a few tone, he heard a voice that he missed so much.

< “Why are you calling?” >

“.........Heeeyyy.... Jung Yuuunhoooo....”

< “Were you drinking?” >

“Noo... Nooooo.....”

< “Hufft... Okay, whatever. Where are you? Should I pick you up?” >

“Noooo..... Jung Yuunhoooo....”

_“_ _My lips. Not my lips... The thing between my lips...._ _”_

< “Why do you keep calling my name?” >

“I....”

< “Yeah?” >

“I don’t wanna be friends with you anymore. No. I can’t.”

< “.......” >

_“_ _Looks like he_ _’_ _s shocked. Hihi._ _”_

“This dumbass man...!”

< “......Hey.....” >

“........I love youuu.... Really... For real.... Friends.... I don’t want things like that, you big idiot....”

He said it.


	18. YJ Project - Chapter 18.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why isn’t Nuna coming back... Constipation?” 

The call was cut off. Yunho was unable to put down his phone even though he no longer heard anything from the other line. _“What did I just hear?”_ He gulped, trying hard to smile and pull up the corners of his mouth. Then he slowly took the cell phone off his ear. He pressed the call button to check the log... only to find out that the one who just called him was really Kim Jaejoong.

“....What were you saying, Kim Jaejoong?”

Yunho muttered, even though he wouldn’t be able to hear his own voice. _“Say that again. I think I heard it wrong. So... You were saying you don’t wanna meet me anymore? Is that it? And what’s up with the love thing...?”_ he frowned, thinking over and over again, but he still couldn’t understand what Jaejoong meant. He was probably drunk... So maybe he was just talking nonsense. But, somehow he sounded hurt.

Yunho rose from his seat and took the jacket that he hung before. _“It looks like Kim Jaejoong was really drunk, so I have to pick him up,”_ he thought as he tried to leave through the front door, before stopping. _“Do I even know where to go...”_ Taking off his half-worn shoes, Yunho let him self collapse on the spot.

He couldn't understand the details of the phone call no matter how much he thought about it. _“Friends... Don’t wanna be friends... Love... Big idiot. Friends often say "I love you" to each other. No, but he said he didn’t wanna be friends anymore. Kim Jaejoong, what do you mean?”_ Yunho wrapped his arms around his head and buried his face between his knees. He just heard a few drunken words, but why does his head hurt and confused?

 _“Friends... Don’t wanna be friends... Love... Big idiot...”_ Yunho opened his closed eyes. Suddenly, the memories of Jaejoong came to his mind like a panorama and knocking his head violently. His reddening face when he looked at Yunho, the day he jumped on the bed and flew onto Yunho, the hand that touched Yunho's face when he was about to fall asleep... Feeling that it was harder to breath, Yunho shook his head vigorously. What do these memories have to do with anything?

Yunho raised himself by straightening his bent knee. Holding up against the wall, he slowly sat on the sofa. He leaned back deeply against the backrest and leaned his head back. _“I love you... I love you... I love you... A drunken voice. A hurt voice. That sincere voice... Kim Jaejoong is in love... with Jung Yunho.”_

 ** ***thump***** He banged his own head against the wall. It doesn't make any sense at all. He couldn’t understand. He finally met a friend he really wanted to be with, and now it's all crushed like this. _“He didn’t exactly say he want_ _s_ _to break our relationship, but that’s basically what he was saying, right? He said he love me in a non platonic way. Doesn’t that mean_ _our_ _relationship right now is already torn apart?”_ Slowly, reality began to enter Yunho's head.

“Does it really have to be like that...?”

_“Why... why... Wouldn’t it better if you don’t? I told you to stay by my side. If you don’t wanna be friends... Then what can I do?_ _T_ _hings like love... Those are the things that only appear in my songs. They’re not real. But why did you say that to me? Those words that sound_ _ed_ _like you want to leave me... Why did you say that?”_ Yunho bit his lower lip. He didn’t want to believe it. Why should he stay away from a friend like Kim Jaejoong? Why won't he let him be his friend?

 _“Please... I really want to believe that those are just drunken words. Just like in dramas, the nonsense that people spout when they_ _’_ _re_ _drunk. You’re the only who_ _’_ _s with me right now. You were_ _the only one_ _...”_ He didn’t want to say those in past tense. _“Please don’t be like this, Kim Jaejoong. Tomorrow, call me back and laugh with a cheerful voice. As my friend, Kim Jaejoong. You have to stay that way.”_ Yunho grasped the cell phone in his hand as hard as he could.

* * *

He hung up on Jung Yunho. He had to... with his own hands. Jaejoong clenched his fist and banged on his chest as he felt like he was about to throw up. He already made a decision to hold it, to push it down, to stop it... But thanks to those drinks, he had done it. Since the day of those vague memories, Jaejoong hadn’t been able to contact Yunho. Of course, that goes the same way for Yunho. He guesses this is really the end.

Getting out of bed, Jaejoong took out all of U-Know’s albums on the bookshelf next to the audio player. He put his hand on the CD case and traced on the handsome face with his hand. Perhaps, there will be no chance for him to touch this man's real face anymore. Since they haven't been friends for a long time, there would be no reason for them to meet anymore since this incident, and it was obvious that the situation would only get worse if they do meet up. Jaejoong bit his lower lip tightly, hugging U-Know's albums in his arms and slid down.

 _“Stupid jerk, ugly son of a bitch, crazy bastard, asshole, Kim Jaejoong you stupid son of a bitch!!!!! Why... Why did you do that... Why_ _?_ _!”_ Yunho's face began to get blurry. The reason was probably because Jaejoong’s eyes were filled with tears. _“Why did I do such a foolish thing? Nothing would change even if I regretted it late. Because I stupidly lost an important friend forever.”_

He still haven't even asked where he met the other before, but he already lost him now. Jaejoong constantly wiped away the tears flowing down his cheeks and bit his trembling lips. That day when they met for the first time. He was surprised and happy to be able to meet such wonderful person that he only saw him on TV so closely. After he became friends with him, every day felt like a dream and he was so proud that he felt like he owned the whole world. But now he’s..... gone forever, thanks to a moment of mistake.

His trembling lips spouted a trembling breath. All he wanted to do was to go back to the night he got drunk and called the other. If that happens, he won't confess like that. No, he won’t call at all, he won't drink either. But... what's the use of such useless thoughts anyway? The water has already spilled. Even if he kept banging on his chest and cry full breathes, it still won’t become a dream.

 _“God, please... Let everything be a dream. I don't mind if I didn't meet Yunho from the beginning, so let this_ _all_ _be a dream...”_ Even if he goes to the church that he didn’t even regularly go to, find God and pray to Him, no matter what he do, he’d already done the crazy mistake. If it was just another day, he’d already send a text to the other day by now. Sometimes Yunho would call Jaejoong, asking why he didn't contact him if he didn't text him first. The stupid cell phone kept quiet. Jaejoong was so angry that he picked up the innocent phone and threw it at the door. He threw it with the intention to break it, but it was still quiet with only the battery disconnected from the phone. Jaejoong got even more upset.

“My... friend.... My.... Jung Yunho.... Fuck you Kim Jaejoong...”

All sorts of curse words came out. Jaejoong, who cut off the other, told himself. He won’t watch TV or anything of sorts anymore. He won’t talk to Ahjoong anymore. He won’t get into Ahjoong’s room anymore. Jaejoong made a resolution. He decided to not be exposed to anything related to Yunho. Because if he runs into something that reminds him of Yunho, he might cry again. _“You haven’t been close with him for long, anyway.”_ He forcefully comforted himself, making up his mind. He’ll forget him. He will. First, he’ll forget the unrealistic feelings of liking human beings of the same sex, and then... about Jung Yunho.

It will be hard, but he will do it. _“Jung Yunho... you... the lonely you... You should meet a proper friend who you could have fun with. Not a crazy bastard like me. A crazy son of a bitch who fell in love with his own friend... Not like me... But a real friend. Someone like me would already spit out everything begrudgingly that day. Saying such creepy thing... You’d definitely throw them away.”_

* * *

“Today's operation... is perhaps the most intentional one of our operations so far.”

Young, with a solemn expression, began to talk head-to-head with Mian, Malsook and Ahjoong. They were trying to save the recently sluggish YunJae-Making by putting things into action, also to save the cafe. YunJae also had to succeed this time in order for them to move forward. They were now gathered at a luxurious Korean restaurant. Yunho and Jaejoong will be there soon.

“Mianie, you know you're really the number one contributor this time, right? You’ve worked really hard!”

“No~ I've done nothing but beg for it like crazy. You’re the best for coming up with something like this!”

“This kid, being all pretty and nice.”

They’re doing it well. Looking at Young and Mian, who were busy praising each other, breaking the serious mood up, Ahjoong and Malsook were tongue-tied. In the end, Malsook asked, “Do we really have time for this?” showing her annoyance. Only then did Young and Mian shut their mouths. Ahjoong sighed, looking at the direction of the door.

Their new operation was, of course, an intentional meeting between Yunho and Jaejoong. With the contact information of Yunho's road manager, which was obtained by all means, she called and texted him every day. She asked him for a one time favor and he can’t tell Yunho. “You used to come to my house often before and I even made you tteokbokki.” She even brought up their past story, begging to him, and she finally got an OK. Yunho's lunch was to be held at this Korean restaurant. A little special lunch.

Meanwhile, Ahjoong said she’ll buy Jaejoong lunch, so Jaejoong will arrive here at about the same time as Yunho. And before the two of them arrived, the YunJae-Making party arrived first and was preparing for a smooth operation. The Korean restaurant was especially divided into rooms for each groups to enter, so it had a very suitable environment for the operation.

Thanks to the fan meeting event, Yunho and Jaejoong definitely have known each other and are familiar with each other’s face. So they thought that the two would be happy to see each other again, and they expected the two to get closer after this. No matter how hard Yunho’s personality is, he wouldn’t be able to ignore the numerous coincidental encounters they made.

“The goal this time is for them to exchange phone numbers! I hope Jaejoong who’s more sociable will do the push...”

“Yes, oh, God, please!!”

“Kim Ahjoong, if Jaejoong gets Yunho's phone number, never ask him to give it to you. Got it?”

“Tch...”

"Put aside your fan heart. Our first priority is YunJae! You don’t know that?”

“Yeah got it~”

Ahjoong nodded at Young’s warning. She has to overlook his brother’s virtue, but as expected, for Ahjoong YunJae is more important than her fan heart.

“He’s here!!”

Jaejoong appeared outside the glass door. Except for Ahjoong, the three quickly hid themselves under the table and behind the heater, and Jaejoong finally stepped into the restaurant. Ahjoong frowned at Jaejoong, who looked haggard with an expressionless face. _“Oh my God. I forgot to dress Jaejoong nicely this morning because of the plan.”_ With a belated regret, Ahjoong went closer to Jaejoong.

“Isn’t it expensive here?”

“Eh, it’s okay~ How else am I gonna use the money that I make? I should use them for times like this. Don’t you think so?”

“Where do we sit? Is it okay here?”

“No no! At the room over there.”

Ahjoong quickly grabbed Jaejoong, who was about to sit on the table in the hallway, and brought him into the room. Jaejoong frowned as he thought it was bothersome to take off his shoes and walked into the room, and Ahjoong followed him from behind. When she looked back slightly, she could see Young mouthing, “Come out soon.” Ahjoong nodded once before taking a seat on the opposite side of Jaejoong.

Jaejoong took off his coat and placed it on the seat next to his. Ahjoong reached out to him and began to brush his messy hair roughly. “Ack, what’s with you?!” Ahjoong ignored Jaejoong’s protest and kept working hard to arrange Jaejoong’s hair neatly. When she thought that it was enough, she got up. “Where are you going?” At Jaejoong’s question, she answered “Toilet for a bit,” before leaving the room.

When she opened the door, she met eyes with the employee who came in bringing a tray to set the water bottles, cups, and towels. She shortly smiled at him in acknowledgement and went past the employee. When Ahjoong came out, the three people who were hiding from all over the places popped out.

“Hey! Why does he look so unkempt?!”

“Ah, I don’t know... I forgot to take care of him in the morning.”

“Well, I’m glad that he’s pretty by default... Just imagine if he looks like us. If you wear no make-up and comfortable clothes like that, wouldn’t it make sense that you're gonna get treated like a crazy bitch?"

“Sorry~”

“By the way, U-Know should arrive quickly...” Worried, Young began to peek outside. Mian was glancing at the door to keep watch. She glanced at her phone, pushing the slider upwards, waiting for a text message. Then, her face brightened rapidly at whoever’s text that came in. She slid the phone back down and ran to the others.

“He’s coming!!”

“Where? Oh my God!”

She could see a van standing in the parking lot out there. Even the serving staff were surprised and began to gather when the van stood in front of the restaurant. The van's door opened and two people got off from the driver's seat and the back seat. One is his manager, and the other is the radiant U-Know based from his height.

This time, the four of them including Ahjoong quickly hid together. As they watched the situation with only their eyes carefully positioned above the table, U-Know followed his manager and entered the restaurant. The few guests who were having lunch in the hall all looked up and watched them in astonishment. The staffs were also huddled up together, making a commotion.

Yunho's manager checked the location of the doors, then stood in front of a room and let Yunho in. “I’m going to the restroom for a while,” the manager said before leaving, letting Yunho close the door when he got in. And just as he turned around, Mian popped out and began to cling to him.

“ _Oppa_ , thank you so much! Really really very very so so!!!”

“But, I think someone was in the room. I didn’t see the face―”

“Anyways! Thank you so much, O _ppa.”_

He looked awkward as he was kinda flustered at Mian who clung to his arms, feeling so thankful.

_“_ _Why isn_ _’_ _t_ Nuna _coming back... Constipation?_ _”_ Jaejoong thought, already drinking two cups of water. When the door opened, he said, “What took you so―” His body stiffened. Someone unexpected came into his line of sight. Yunho came into the room while looking at the floor, so he didn’t notice him. He closed the door and took two steps before lifting his head, and froze as much as Jaejoong.

 _“_ _I've been living without my right mind these days. Looks like I_ _’_ _ve really gone nuts. I_ _’_ _m even seeing things._ _”_ Shake his head a couple of times, Jaejoong raised his head again. But the person in front of him is really Yunho, not Ahjoong. Yunho also looked closely at Jaejoong, furrowing his eyebrows and even opening his eyes as wide as possible. But surely this man is Kim Jaejoong, the one who had been giving him a hard time.

“Y-you... How...”

“Hah...”

Yunho laughed dumbfoundedly, bent his head and looked down at Jaejoong.

"Aren’t we too coincidental?”

“Jung Yunho...”

"Coincidence or not, we met well anyway. Kim Jaejoong, why haven't you been contacting me?”

Not giving a damn. Unlike Jaejoong, whose heart was beating so fast that it's about to break through his chest, Yunho sat across Jaejoong, speaking casually, as though he was still texting Jaejoong until just now. At Yunho’s action, Jaejoong clasped the hem of his pants with his hand which he had placed on his knees. He’s sweating hard.

“You... You know why...”

“Know what?”

“You don't have to try to pretend nothing happened. I'm sorry.”

“Kim Jaejoong.”

“I don’t know how we could meet all of a sudden. I’ll make sure this won’t happen again. You can cuss me out for being disgusting all you want. I’m going out. Now... we won't see each other again. Right?”

Leaving Yunho who was not answering behind, Jaejoong rose from his seat. Then he picked up the coat he had placed beside him and left the room. Looking at Jaejoong's back, Yunho rubbed his forehead. He asked Jaejoong why he hasn't contacted him. _“_ _I wanted you to call me, say it was all jokes, it was all nonsense. But... Those words that day... If you say that those aren_ _’_ _t lies and leave me here. What am I supposed to do?_ _”_

Ahjoong and the others, who had gathered in front of the door of the room where Jaejoong and Yunho were in, fell out in surprise when the door suddenly burst open. Jaejoong glared at them with red eyes, and ran out of the restaurant while putting his shoes on. _“_ _Of course it was all of you. Why the hell are you trying to get me to meet Jung Yunho?_ _”_ He really wanted to get angry, he wanted to leave even more. Jaejoong left the restaurant with tears falling on his cheeks.

“W-what’s wrong with Jaejoongie?”

“I can’t hear what they were saying inside the room. What do we do...”

“But... Jaejoongie was crying, wasn’t he?”

“....What?”

More than Yunho who was left alone in the room, holding his forehead and leaning against the wall, Jaejoong, who ran out of this place crying, caused them a bigger damage. _“_ _Just how... How did this happen? There_ _’_ _s no way... Did Yunho hit Jaejoong?_ _”_


	19. YJ Project - Chapter 19.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s right... Keep drinking. Drink until you don’t know anything anymore.”

Ahjoong, who had been puzzled for a long time after Jaejoong ran out, came to her senses thanks to Young, who scolded her. “What are you doing not going after him? Go quick and find out what had happened!” Ahjoong took the bag that was on the table and quickly left the restaurant. It has been quite a time since Jaejoong left, so he couldn't be seen anymore.

This is not it. How did such a dumbfounding situation happen? If everything went according to their plan, Yunho would come into the room Jaejoong was in, feeling surprised and happy at the coincidental reunion, talk to each other for a long time, and then they would exchange phone numbers. But no, when Yunho haven’t even been in the room for 1 minute, Jaejoong came out running away instead.... And he was crying on top of that.

She kicked the ground with the shoes she was wearing in annoyance, and ran to the bus with her hair flying. After arriving in front of the house, she raised her hand to open the front door. She was going to turn the handle to open the door, but a box stuck out in her gaze when she turned her head aside for a moment. Hands off the door, Ahjoong bent her knees and crouched in front of the box. It wasn’t strange to have a box placed there because it was a place where recycled waste like paper was piled up, but the box was too pretty to throw away.

Ahjoong, who reached out her hand and lifted the box, felt that the box was full with something. She had to come inside soon to ask Jaejoong why he left all of a sudden, but she was curious about the contents of the box, so she wanted to confirm what was inside first. When she opened the box, “What.... What is this....” The things filling the box are all of U-Know’s CDs from his debut until the latest one. Flustered, she coughed and began to look at each of the cases containing the CD. These are definitely the ones she gave to Jaejoong as presents. Why are these here?

She frowned her forehead, closing the lid of the box, picked the box in one arm and went inside the house. Opening the door to her room just right near the front door, she threw her bag inside, and headed straight to Jaejoong’s room. She raised her hand to open the door, but the sound from the room stopped her. The sound of wailing, the sound of nose-blowing, the sound of whimpers... Collectively speaking, those are definitely a crying sound.

Ahjoong blew her bangs with her breath, before bursting the door open and entered Jaejoong’s room. Then she saw Jaejoong sitting on his bed, hugging a pillow, pulling out a sheet of tissue from a box that was placed next to him, and letting out tears. Despite his sister’s arrival, Jaejoong has not raised his head and kept crying that way.

“Hey... What’s wrong?”

“.....”

“Kim Jaejoong.”

Jaejoong gave no answer even if she asked him or call his name. He completely ignored her and refused to lift his head. Sighing and sitting on the bed, Ahjoong stared at Jaejoong. _“_ _You_ _’_ _re still so pretty even when you cry... No. That_ _’_ _s not it._ _”_ Surprised by the useless thought, Ahjoong took away the pillow that Jaejoong was holding. Only then did Jaejoong life his head and stare at Ahjoong.

“What are you doing? Why are you crying?”

“Don’t bother.”

“Hey.”

“Get lost.”

His glaring red eyes made him look so pitiful. It was frustrating for Ahjoong to not know anything.

“Did you know that U-Know came into the room?”

“....”

“You’re still not close to him? Why did you come out cry―”

“Fuck!!!”

“....Jaejoong- _ah_.”

“Why are you toying with me? Must be so fucking fun using me all the time, huh? Why? You all can’t do it, so you’re forcing me to stick to him, to embarrass myself, to get surprised by myself? Thinking that even vicarious satisfaction would be enough?? Not even thinking about my feelings? Why do you keep making me see that bastard??!!!”

Ahjoong was at loss for words. It was her first time seeing her brother cry so hard while screaming. Suddenly, she felt bad for doing things to her heart’s content, without even thinking about her brother’s feelings. And even in the midst of all that,

“You... Didn’t you like U-Know?”

“Like??? U-Know?? Me??? Hah! Do you think I’ll like him after getting pushed here and there by you and your friends, selling my face and all?? Do you??”

“You really... don’t like U-Know?”

“Yeah!! I fucking hate him!! So much that I’d go crazy!! Even earlier, I hate hate hate him so much that I came out crying! How’s that?!”

_“_ _Kim Jaejoong you liar. You like like like him so much that you came out crying. You thought you couldn_ _’_ _t be friends with him anymore. You couldn_ _’_ _t take back your confession. You hated your sister because you should've forgotten about it, but she made you see him again._ _”_

Her nose is burning. Her eyes heated up. _“_ _This isn_ _’_ _t it. This really isn_ _’_ _t it. It shouldn_ _’_ _t become like this..._ _”_ Ahjoong quietly got off the bed, muttering “I understand,” and left the room. _“_ _I really didn_ _’_ _t know. I really thought you liked U-Know. But... You got that annoyed and hated it so much that I kept doing things the way I like? When I saw you falling when you saw U-Know, when I saw you going out of your way to buy U-Know_ _’_ _s album and listened to his songs, I was so excited that I went crazy... I_ _’_ _ve been doing stupid shits by myself, huh?_ _”_

The word "YunJae" disappeared from Ahjoong’s mind. All she could think of is her one and only brother that she kept on teasing, and the fact that she sacrificed him to fulfill her own selfishness. What is YunJae even? It’s not even real. She had to see her pretty brother, who rarely shed tears, cry really hard. So hard that his pretty eyes became red.

After closing the door, Ahjoong slid down and shed tears. So far, they had been shoveling shits, harassing her own brother in the process. Now, it’s time for her to give up on YunJae-Making...

* * *

In the late evening, a live music program on a cable TV ended with U-Know winning 1st. Yunho had to walk to the waiting room supported by the wall, because of his weary head. His eyes felt too stiff. He shook his head a couple of times and blinked, and now his shoulders felt heavy. This was because he couldn't sleep these days. It’s not that his schedules were so tight that he had no time to sleep. He just couldn’t sleep at all. The cause of this insomnia is... Yunho didn't know.

He let out a deep breath. When he arrived at the waiting room where his regular clothes were at, someone caught him by the arm. Looking back, it was the male singer who was also the MC of the program. Behind the guy, a few people lined up as if they were going to go somewhere together.

“Yunho- _ssi,_ we’re going to go for a drink. Would you like to join us? We rarely hung out together.”

“Hey, let it go~ U-Know has never agreed to these things.”

Before U-Know can answer, someone from the back of the guy cut him. Just like what he said, Yunho wasn’t the type to get involved in company dinners or drinking party with fellow celebrities. He usually enjoys his time alone, not even trying to build a close relationship with other people, so that guy wasn’t wrong at all.

The male singer who talked to Yunho for the first time was still holding his arm even though everyone was stopping him. Yunho was about to turn him down with a polite refusal, out of habit. But the thought that suddenly came to him told him not to.

“Okay. Where are we going?”

The people standing behind him the MC began to be surprised by Yunho's answer, and the man, who had a happy expression on his face, smiled brightly at Yunho's answer. Upon hearing the man's answer that they were going to a nearby hotel bar, Yunho went into the waiting room to change his clothes. Inside, Yunho's manager and a few assistant coordinators, were all looking at him in surprise. “You all heard from here right? Then why are you surprised?” Yunho changed his clothes without listening to his surroundings.

After finishing the preparations, he went to follow them, but suddenly he heard a woman's voice from somewhere.

“Wait! I’m going too!”

“Oh... Ryuan- _ssi_ , didn’t you say you weren’t joining?”

“Eh~ I was just joking. Did you really believe that? Well, let’s go then!”

When Ryuan heard that U-Know was going with them, she appeared and included herself among them. Yunho frowned at her unwelcomed appearance, but she only responded with “Yunho- _ssi_ , don’t be so uneasy around me. I’m not like that anymore~” Yunho just turned his eyes towards the others. If he suddenly said he wouldn't go, it would seem like he had something going on with Ryuan.

When they arrived at the bar, about five or six people sat down. No one was surprised and treated them normally, because it was such a frequent place for celebrities to come to. At first, they were talking about the place, and then they drank the cocktails they ordered. They were just whispering to each other, but maybe because of the high alcohol level, they began to grow noisy.

While they were chatting and showing off their close friendship, Yunho was drinking quietly. Since he drank without speaking, Yunho probably drank the most among the group. He's drinking quietly, moving his wrists and lips, but in between, someone joked, “Yunho- _ssi_ , please drink while enjoying the food. The bartender is staring at you.”

Yunho followed their words because he simply wanted to drink. He thought that he might be able to fall asleep if he got drunk. He thought maybe he'd stop thinking about it, but he still could remember it even if it was vague. It would have been okay for him to drink alone, but he followed them because he had already gotten used to drinking with someone.

Yunho wanted to stick together with Jaejoong, cover up what happened in the past, put it back in a comfortable way, and spend the days like how they usually would. Jaejoong was already embedded so deeply in his mind that it was so hard to erase him. He’d do anything to get everything back to the way it was before. He couldn't do it because of Jaejoong, who, unlike him, was trying to solve the situation by just breaking everything. He said that he loved him, but he didn’t even think about getting together with him. Instead, he chose to cut everything in half to cover the incident, and Yunho couldn’t do anything about it.

Why can’t they just be friends? If he loved him, why did he cut ties with him?

Unlike Yunho, who only drinks heavily without saying a word, the others kept on chattering, not a single drink was in their mouth. One of them was Ryuan. Ryuan was just looking at Yunho, holding up her glass and twirling it around. With one side of her mouth raised, she stared at Yunho's Adam’s apple. _“_ _That_ _’_ _s right... Keep drinking. Drink until you don_ _’_ _t know anything anymore._ _”_

Ryuan's hand which was holding the glass, trembled slightly. She was reminded of the plan that had failed before. Because her uncle didn't mention her name, she didn't suffer any damage, but she kept getting irritated and annoyed by the fact that she had failed because of a woman. But at what about to happen now, she smiled evilly. _“_ _Now that I have the opportunity, I'm putting you off. You should_ _’_ _ve agreed to be mine at the very first time..._ _”_

One by one, people began to reach out to pick up their phones, and call their managers. Yunho was leaning against the chair and his head was bent down as if he fell asleep. Ryuan, the only sober woman who didn't touch a drop of alcohol, got up from her seat with a big smile. Then she went to Yunho's side and help him stand. And then, another person who still has their consciousness in check, asked, “Oh, Ryuan- _ssi_ , you’re leaving?” She answered, “I’m taking Yunho- _ssi_ to his manager.” She lied, taking Yunho to lean against her and took steps.

Going to the hotel room, which had been checked in under Yunho's name, Ryuan helped him a little bit and got on the elevator. Yunho’s manager couldn’t see where they’re going at all. _“_ _Did that irresponsible manager left him all alone...?_ _”_ _S_ he smirked and entered the room with an intoxicated Yunho in her arms.

“Urgh... So heavy...”

She put Yunho on the large bed with a beaming smile on her face, in contrast to her whining. _“_ _This high-nosed man is just as gorgeous even when he_ _’_ _s drunk._ _”_ With a happy smile, she took off Yunho’s shoes and put them near the door. She difficultly tried to take off his jacket, muttering, “Must be so stuffy...” and unbuttoned two to three of his shirt buttons.

And then, she squatted down on the bedside and began to appreciate Yunho's face. _“_ _Such a high nose bridge..._ _”_ She giggled, and traced Yunho’s face with her hand. Unlike other male celebrities, his skin is so smooth that it’s attractive. With neat black eyelashes and the really high nose bridge, he’s even more attractive. The subtle difference of thickness between his red lips, overflowing with charms, enough to make someone want to steal them.

“Mmh... It’s okay.... So.... just... stay by my side...”

“Huh?”

With Yunho's mumbling voice as if he was talking in his sleep, Ryuan put her ear closer to his mouth. _“_ _Stay by my side, you say? Sure I can do that._ _”_

With a bright smile, Ryuan raised herself after leaving a slight kiss on Yunho's forehead. Then, she went to the bathroom to take a shower. _“_ _Just wait a little bit more, U-Know. I_ _’_ _ll let you smell a nice scent. I_ _’_ _ll tie you up and make you mine._ _”_


	20. YJ Project - Chapter 20.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ll do it.”

Instead of following Yunho into the bar, Jungsoo chose to smoke against the van. He took a deep suck, dusted off the ashes, and swept up his hair with his free hand. He has worked as Yunho’s road manager since Yunho’s debut. He’s already used to Yunho’s personality, as he had been with him through his years of joy and sorrow.

One day, however, Yunho showed a slight change when he started to have a friend. Jungsoo saw him laughing while having a phone call or texting, or even giggled at times when Yunho was probably reminded of his friend. For the first time, Jungsoo could see Yunho's smile because of the man. A real smile, and not a firm smile that he put on broadcasts before Yunho met the man. He began to be more considerate of the others. He also slept well without skipping meals, so Jungsoo could be less worried.

But these days, when he went home to pick Yunho up at his house, he couldn't see that friend anymore. When he asked Yunho why, the other suddenly looked all serious and tried to change the subject. _“_ _They had a fight, huh..._ _”_ Having a hunch, Jungsoo stopped talking about the man. But, now that the situation went on for so long, Yunho started to go back to his old self. No, now it’s even worse.

The smile that had showed up a little when he’s dealing with another person had disappeared. He treated people with a more cynical way of speaking than before. Jungsoo felt sad because it looked like Yunho had an insomnia that he couldn’t sleep at night, causing him to always had bloodshot eyes, and he even got some skin troubles. He’d be glad if that’s all it was really, but if Jungsoo didn’t take care of him, the other wouldn’t even eat. Yunho looked paler these days, and Jungsoo couldn’t help but be worried.

In addition, he does things that he had never done before. Hanging out with other celebrities isn’t a problem, but when there were female celebrities, the problem was likely to grow. So, Jungsoo was relieved as Yunho doesn't really get along with other celebrities. But he couldn’t believe that Yunho choose to hang out with other people now, and to even drink together with them out of all things. And half of them were female celebrities.

He thought that it was most likely because of his friend, Jaejoong. He could tell because the man had strangely disappeared, and Yunho acted like they had a fight. Yunho looked better when he was in a good mood at that time... He dropped the now much shorter cigarette on the floor, stepped on it with his shoes, and took out his cell phone. The man was so attached to Yunho to the point that even Jungsoo knew his contact number, so Jungsoo searched for Jaejoong's number and pressed the call button. Although he didn’t think it’d be good to intervene, he wanted Yunho to regain the good mood that he had for a while.

There was a brief call tone before he could hear Jaejoong’s voice.

< “....Can I help you?” >

“Jaejoong- _ssi_ , are you doing well?”

< “Ah.... Yes.” >

“Why is it so hard to see your face these days?”

< “Haha....” >

Jaejoong used to sound so bright and cheerful, with a way of speaking that was just a little faster than normal, but now he sounded subdued and weak. It wasn’t even the time to sleep yet. Jungsoo then continued to talk with his head tilting to one side.

“Is it possible for us to meet once?”

< “Why? >

“I have something to say.”

< “I think it's going to be difficult. I'm sorry.” >

“Oh, if it’s because of Yunho, then you don’t need to worry. I was planning on meeting you alone.”

As he expected, they got in a fight. Jungsoo hastily reasoned to Jaejoong, who refused to meet Yunho. Then there was no answer for a moment. He was seemingly a little hesitant. Jungsoo then asked, “Hello?” urging the other to answer. Then, he heard the other talked slowly.

< “What is it about?” >

“I’ll tell you when we meet. When will you have time? I’ll contact you when Yunho have a relatively free schedule. Right now Yunho is with other people, having a dinner... or something similar. Anyway, he’s drinking in the bar, so I have to take care of him later. He must’ve been exhausted after winning 1st in the broadcast.”

< “A place where celebrities meet.... Is it at the hotel near the concert hall? >

“Ah, yes!”

< “I’m actually in the area right now. Would you like to meet now?” >

Jungsoo was in thought for a moment by the unexpected offer from Jaejoong. It hasn’t been long since the group went in, and it seemed like they were going to stay for long, so Jungsoo asked Jaejoong where he is now. Then he found out that Jaejoong was close enough to meet him without him having to drive.

Jaejoong chose to meet Jungsoo at a cafe nearby, when he was on the way home after meeting a friend. As they sat down, they greeted each other and smiled awkwardly. Especially Jaejoong, who suddenly regretted meeting Yunho’s manager. He had decided not to involve himself with the other anymore, but Jungsoo who hit well with him had asked to meet, and he just happened to be nearby, so he agreed. Jaejoong didn’t raise his head, sweeping the edges of the cup of coffee he ordered with his fingers.

 _“_ _This is awkward as hell_ _. Why did I meet this guy? What_ _am I_ _going to hear?”_ In a belated regret, Jaejoong kept rubbing the edge of his coffee cup. It wasn't long after that Jungsoo broke the awkwardness and began to speak.

“So... Did you and Yunho fight?”

It was obvious Jungsoo was gonna talk about Yunho, so why did he agree to meet? He flinched when Yunho’s name came out of Jungsoo’s mouth, and swallowed a sigh. _“_ _Damn I_ _’_ _m regretting this so much. I should have just asked to meet later and push it back again and again. I should_ _’_ _ve did that and not meet him at all._ _”_ To Jaejoong, who had no answer, Jungsoo carefully brought up the story again.

“Yunho’s condition isn’t so good these days. He couldn’t sleep, he kept skipping meals. It didn’t affect his schedule, but I’m even more worried about that. He’s acting even colder than before. He was so different when he got along with you, Jaejoong- _ssi_. I know it's none of my business, but can't you just make up with him at this point?"

“That... huffft...”

“Was the fight so big that it’s hard to make up? No matter how much I think about it, Yunho got brighter and nicer because of you Jaejoong- _ssi_. What should I do in this situation? Are you really not gonna see Yunho anymore?”

_“_ _Jung Yunho.... Not sleeping, skipping meals... That_ _’_ _s right... He must_ _’_ _ve been so shocked. He needs to forget about me and get well soon. What can I do anyway? I_ _’_ _m dying of guilt right now._ _”_ Jaejoong scolded himself inwardly and bit his lips hard. _“_ _You shouldn_ _’_ _t be like that because of me. You should smile more and meet good friends._ _”_

“I don't know what's going on, but I hope you can make up as soon as possible. Jaejoongi _-ssi_ , you're a really nice person, that’s why Yunho likes you a lot. It's kind of weird to think that I'm badmouthing the guy I’m supposed to take care of, but isn't he a little rude? But you managed to change such a rude kid... That brat Yunho is probably the one at fault, but can’t the nice Jaejoong- _ssi_ take a step back and apologize first so you two can make up?”

_“_ _A really nice person...? Me...?_ _”_ Jaejoong couldn’t help but let out a forced laugh. _“_ _Yunho_ _’_ _s manager who knows nothing, says that I_ _’_ _m such a nice person who changed him, without knowing what I actually did._ _”_ Despite Jungsoo’s long-standing persuasion, Jaejoong still kept his head down, sipping his coffee. Jungsoo scratched his head in frustration at Jaejoong’s non-existent reaction. _“_ _So you really did have a big fight._ _”_ He couldn’t actually say that so he just complained inwardly. He was about to persuade Jaejoong again when the cell phone in his hand rang.

“Ah, it’s Yunho...” he mumbled before answering, making Jaejoong’s eyes opened wide. Jungsoo stared warily at him before giving an apologetic look.

“Yeah? Are you done drinking?”

< “..... _Hyung_...... Where are you?” >

“I’m out for a bit. Should I pick you up? You’re in the bar, right?”

< “....No.... I... don’t know...” >

“Huh?”

< “Bed......” >

“What?? Yunho- _yah_! Yunho- _yah...._! Yunho- _yah_?”

He said “Bed” in a drunken, twisted accent, murmuring and disconnecting the call. That made Jungsoo wondered. _“_ _Bed? Did he go to a room?_ _”_ He scratched his head and put his phone inside his pocket, and looked at Jaejoong. After thinking for a while, he asked the other for a favor.

“Um... Jaejoong- _ssi_ , can you come with me?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m really sorry, but I need to pick Yunho up. Yunho's really drunk anyway, so you won’t feel uncomfortable. As you know, his body is big. He’s not talking clearly, so he’s probably almost out. I think it’d be hard for me to take him home alone...”

“N-no. I can’t.”

“Jaejoong- _ssiii...._ ”

When he refused, Jaejoong was flustered by Jungsoo's sorrowful expression. Jungsoo kept begging him to help him take care of Yunho since the latter was drunk anyway. Jaejoong tried hard not to make eye contact with Jungsoo. _“_ _This is frustrating as hell. I can_ _’_ _t refuse and reason that we_ _’_ _re currently in a cracked relationship... It_ _’_ _ll definitely look strange if I kept insisting that I didn_ _’_ _t want to._ _”_ It's natural for friends to put their arms around each other's shoulders in three seconds after punching and kicking each other. He thought that he’d look like a narrow-minded jerk if he refused one more time, so he closed his eyes tightly and followed Jungsoo. He thought that since Yunho was hella drunk anyway, all he had to do was help Jungsoo bring him home.

Upon arriving from the hotel after walking for a few minutes, Jungsoo found out the room checked in under Yunho's name and went up. “This kid... What is he thinking spending money on a useless room....” Jungsoo muttered while thanking Jaejoong continuously. When they arrived in front of Yunho's room, fortunately, a shoe was stuck in the crack of the door and the door was unlocked. Without looking closely at what the shoe looked like, Jungsoo and Jaejoong entered the room.

Jaejoong opened his mouth in surprise at the scenery inside the hotel he had never been to. Jungsoo casually headed to Yunho’s big body lying on the bed. He gave the jacket to Jaejoong. It was hard to make the heavy Yunho to stand, so he urged the other, “Jung Yunho, wake up.” Jungsoo looked like he was having a hard time, so Jaejoong calmed his pounding heart and went to help Jungsoo. Jungsoo left Yunho to Jaejoong, and walked towards the door, bending down to pick up the shoes. However... _“_ _Why are there four shoes here...? And moreover, the other pair is... high heels?_ _”_

Come to think of it... he thought he heard the sound of water from somewhere. Jungsoo put the shoes on Yunho's feet, leaving Yunho to Jaejoong, who had yet to see the high heels, and told him to go out first. Then, Jungsoo stood in front of the bathroom where the sound of water came from, let out a deep sigh, and knocked on the bathroom door. Then he heard the water stopped running.

“Okay.... Look. I don’t know who you are. But because I don’t want to make the situation bigger, I won’t ask who you are, and I’ll take Yunho back home. It’s obvious that if I came a little bit later, there would be a big mess. Anyway, there’s no way the knocked out Yunho could check in by himself..... Okay, listen well, perverted lady. No matter how handsome U-Know is, getting excited at his drunk self will only make your life harder to live in.”

Clicking his tongue and frowning, Jungsoo then came out to the hotel hallway where Jaejoong and Yunho waited. Jaejoong had his eyes wide open, asking Jungsoo for some kind of explanation. Jungsoo then smiled, saying that it was nothing, and then they left the hotel.

When they arrived at Yunho's house, Jaejoong was so tired that he sweated a lot. Then he and Jungsoo laid Yunho on the bed. Only then did he sigh, sat on the floor, and wiped out the sweats that didn't fit this winter season with his sleeves. "What?" Jaejoong smiled, looking at Jungsoo, who was taking Yunho's jacket off. After taking off his jacket and shoes, Jungsoo greeted Jaejoong and left Yunho's house first.

Now... Jaejoong was the only one left here with Yunho. _“_ _It's been a while since I've been here... Jung Yunho's house... I thought I'd never set foot here again._ _”_ Jaejoong held his fluttering heart as he looked at Yunho, who was fast asleep, smelling like alcohol. _“_ _I get to see you again in such situation... I didn_ _’_ _t know I_ _’_ _d be back here again..._ _”_ He missed the house which was filled with memories that left deep impressions in him, although there’s not much of them.

 _“_ _I_ _’_ _ll stay here for a bit, then I_ _’_ _ll leave. Since it's going to be the last one, like, really really last, I should look at Yunho's face a little more before I leave. If I leave this place, I'll never see this guy again, so I'll just stay a little longer._ _”_ Jaejoong thought as he kept pushing back his leaving time... Then he fell asleep while crouching down.

* * *

His head was ringing. It's been a long time since he slept for so long, but he also had a headache, perhaps because he drank too much last night. Yunho sat up and shook his head for a long time, then came down from his bed and stood up when he felt somewhat better. When he looked down to check his own condition, he found that he was still wearing the pants and shirts he wore yesterday, and the smell of alcohol was evident in his clothes. He exhaled, entering the bathroom attached to the bedroom. Yunho took a clean shower, brushed his teeth cleanly, because his mouth still smelled strongly of alcohol, came out and changed into comfortable clothes to wear at home.

He remembered drinking like a madman in that hotel yesterday and falling asleep, but he couldn’t remember anything after that. Yunho left the room, thinking that his manager probably brought him back here. When he opened the door, he heard a rattling sound from somewhere. Thinking that the housekeeper had come, Yunho walked out and sat on the sofa. Then he thoughtlessly turned his head and looked at the kitchen.

 _“…Nope. That’s not the how the housekeeper looked like from the back.”_ He stopped his gaze. He could see the back of someone who was busy boiling something with an apron tied to their body. Yunho got up from the sofa, doubting his eyes, and walked towards the kitchen with long steps. The person heard the sound of footsteps, and their busy movement stopped. Then they slowly turned.

“Kim… Jaejoong…”

“O-oh…. Y-you’re awake… I-I’m sorry. I just… I was just gonna cook a hangover soup quickly and leave. It’s the truth. Uh, I… I’ll go now.”

Leaning sideways against the table, Yunho looked at Jaejoong with his arms crossed. Jaejoong began to unwrap his apron with his trembling hands. _“How did this happen?”_ Yunho didn’t let it show on his face, but he was flustered by the situation. “ _Who’s this person stuttering in front of me right now?”_ It took him a long time to understand.

Jaejoong hurriedly turned off the gas stove below the boiling pot and barely loosened his apron with clumsy moves. Losing strength in his legs, he stumbled when he left the kitchen without meeting Yunho’s gaze. Yunho caught him. However, as soon as he was caught, Jaejoong's swaying combined with Yunho's dizziness didn’t help, and they fell to the floor.

Even at that moment, Yunho had fallen with his hand cushioning the back of Jaejoong’s head, in fear that the latter might get injured. Right now, Jaejoong is lying on the floor with Yunho on top of him. Yunho wrapped his hand around Jaejoong's head, not noticing that the pain on the back of his hand and knees were getting worse. He looked down at Jaejoong, who was looking up at him with his eyes wide open. The distance between their faces is quite short.

Fortunately, Yunho's hand was cushioning his head when he fell, but Jaejoong, who definitely fell on his tailbone, made a face and tried to get out of the ambiguous position. Yunho made no move to get up from this weird position. “ _If you're this close... My heart's going to beat like crazy a_ _ga_ in. _”_ Before he could even finish the sentence in his mind, there was already a thunderstorm going on inside his chest.

“You’re really Kim Jaejoong, huh…”

“I’m sorry. I’ll go. M-move.”

“Really…. You’re really Kim Jaejoong….”

“Jung Yun―”

_“What was that? The thing that just brushed my lips?”_ Jaejoong stopped all movement and stiffened. _“I'm sure you just... Very shortly, your lips_ _...._ _touched mine_ _..._ _.”_

“Y-you… You’re still drunk… Move aside… Quick... Don't throw away the hangover soup I made and make sure you eat it.”

“I’m not moving.”

“.….”

“I’ll do it.”

“.….”

“Love. I’ll do that.”

_“Jung Yunho. What are you doing? What did you just do to Kim Jaejoong? What are you even saying right now? The one in front of you right now is Kim Jaejoong. Your friend, Kim Jaejoong. But now… Jung Yunho… I… What the hell are you spouting?”_

“I can hear your heartbeat….”

“.….”

“Remember the first day I drank with you?”

“.….”

“I asked you to stay by my side. But, that’s not something that you should do… I think it’s something that _I_ should do.”

“.…..You…”

“Because I can’t be without you.”

_“Those words were improvised. But actually, it’s not… That’s actually the truth that had been buried in deep in my heart, and they all exploded the moment I saw this man’s face. Jung Yunho… That’s right… No matter what happened, Kim Jaejoong had to be by my side.”_


	21. YJ Project - Chapter 21.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m quitting.”

He woke up because his throat hurt so much. Wondering what was so uncomfortable, Jaejoong opened his eyes and found out that he was sleeping on the floor. But the linoleum covering the floorboards were not like the one in Jaejoong's room. He had been sleeping in such an uncomfortable position all night long that his body felt like it was being crushed. When he raised himself with a fist massaging the back of his neck... Where is this?

He stood still for a long time. A spacious room, with no trivial furniture, and only a large bed. And someone was lying on the bed. It seemed like it had became a habit. Just by seeing Jung Yunho, his heart would be banging hard in his chest. Jaejoong recalled yesterday’s event, muttering, “So I fell asleep, huh…” and stood up. He looked at the clock on one side of the wall and it was a little past seven o'clock. With the idea of getting out of here quickly before Yunho woke up, Jaejoong headed towards the door with a quick step.

When he got to the door, he raised his hand to grab the doorknob, but the sound of Yunho's breathing in silence stopped him. It was just a tiny, regular breathing sound, but the mere fact that it belonged to Jung Yunho was too special for him. Now that everything’s done, the idea that it really is the last time kept holding him back, and he felt like he was going crazy. _“It's really gonna be the last time, so can I see your handsome face one more time? Can I stroke those smooth cheeks one more time?”_ He doesn’t know who he was asking, but he knows that the only answer was "No."

With a trembling sigh, Jaejoong left Yunho's bedroom. He started walking with a heavy heart, and now it became easier to get to the front door with his quick steps. He twisted his mouth and took his cell phone out of his crumpled coat pocket, and then he began to wear his shoes. When he unlocked his cell phone, he found two missed calls from home and two text messages from his sister. As expected, the texts were "Why are you staying out without a word?" and "Where are you?"

“Now is goodbye for real…” Jaejoong mumbled, putting his hand on the doorknob. But then, he was reminded of Yunho's skinny cheeks that he saw yesterday. He remembered bringing Yunho, who was so drunk that he couldn’t keep his balance, all the way here together with his manager. And… he also remembered Yunho’s manager’s words about Yunho who couldn’t sleep or eat properly, which probably was because of him.

 _“Can I really…?”_ Jaejoong chewed on his lower lip, took off his shoes, and came back into the house. It’s still 7 o’clock in the morning… He thought that it would be okay if he made a hangover soup for the other before he woke up. He heard from the other that there was a housekeeper. Thinking that Yunho might woke up before the housekeeper would arrive and then he wouldn’t be able to eat, Jaejoong took his coat off and headed towards the kitchen.

And just like that, he was cooking with his heart pounding warily, thinking what if Yunho woke up sooner. The heavy footsteps from behind gave Jaejoong the feeling of his liver dropping hard to the very bottom. His view blacked out. He could feel his lips trembling. When he slowly turned around…. just as expected. Jung Yunho was looking at Jaejoong with an expression of disbelief.

Shaking like crazy, he clumsily turned the stove off, took off his apron, apologized, and tried to walk past the other. But he couldn’t. Because Yunho, who was probably angry, grabbed him by the arm. He felt his strength fading, and at that time, he thought that Yunho would be able to support him, so he let himself fall. As he was about to fall, Yunho fell along with Jaejoong, as if he hadn’t put strength on his body either.

Jaejoong was worried about his head hitting the floor, but he was even more frightened that Yunho would fall on him. That’s why he tightly closed his eyes, anticipating the pain, but he could not feel any pain at all because something was supported his head, and Yunho didn’t fall on him. Not to mention, he held himself up with both knees and the hand that wasn’t holding Jaejoong’s head.

He was so flustered that he kept stuttering… But, something passed over his lips, accompanied by a gentle voice. It was done in a very short time, that he couldn't even think about what was going on. But he didn't let go of Jaejoong... Instead, he kept on saying unbelievable things.

_“W-what…? He’ll do… what….?”_

Jaejoong pushed Yunho with a stronger force and sat up. Then, he saw Yunho also sitting in front of him. Jaejoong had no idea what he was doing, but his heart was racing, and Yunho, who was staring straight into his eyes, had a very calm face.

“So… Now…”

“Do something about your mouth. You look like a fool.”

“Jung Yunho…”

“Why? You want me to say it again? I need you by my side. You said you didn’t wanna be friends. Then, love. I’ll try doing that. Then we’ll be able to stay together.”

This is driving him crazy. The words coming out of Yunho's mouth are completely unrealistic, so Jaejoong began to slap his cheek with his hands. His face must have turned red, since his palm felt hot. _“I've never dreamed of such situation, neither have I imagined it. Love? What_ _is it that you_ _’_ _re gonna try again_ _?”_

“You…. You’re the one who look like a fool, Jung Yunho. Do you even get what you’re saying to me?”

“What does it mean?”

“W-well… Not as friends… Things like being lovers… That…”

“And?”

“And… If that’s gonna happen… we have to go on dates, hugs, and pecks too…”

“Those things you said. We’ve done it all, though? Then, according to your standard, we’re already lovers.”

_“Kim Jaejoong, are you crazy? What nonsense are you talking about?”_ Jaejoong chuckled emptily, looking at Yunho who answered his questions, and began to blame himself. He clenched his fist and hit his own head. But Yunho's hand reached out and held Jaejoong's wrist.

“I sacrificed my hand so your head wouldn’t get injured. What am I gonna do if you keep hitting your head like that?”

Jaejoong’s eyes blinked incessantly. With Yunho's hand clasping his wrist, Jaejoong slowly began to acknowledge the reality. _“_ _Right now, Jung Yunho is saying that he won't lose me._ _”_ Ignoring his own heavy breathing, ignoring the harsh beating of his heart, stopping himself from stuttering like a fool, he layered his voice with ice.

“No. Don’t be like this, Jung Yunho.”

“Like what?”

“No way.”

_“_ _I_ _’_ _m okay by myself. I_ _’_ _m really sorry that I came to like you, but I_ _’_ _ll be damned if I turn you into someone like me. I_ _’_ _m really going to be a bad guy. A crazy guy. I'm never going to bring you into a world like mine. If you love me, that means you_ _’_ _ll like men. I_ _’_ _m alone is enough to go that way._ _”_

“....What’s no?”

“Love. That... Don’t. No.”

“Why? You can, but I can’t?”

“Yeah. You can’t.”

His heart was beating so fast that it was about to split in half. _“So this is what it's like to have a_ _heartbreak_ _._ _The main characters in the dramas felt hurt here..._ _”_ He thought while rubbing his chest. _“_ _It_ _’_ _s really does hurt, huh._ _”_ He resented the memories that was mocking him. _“_ _My heart hurts really bad. If I'm really human, I have to push Jung Yunho away now._ _”_

“Hufft... Kim Jaejoong. I don't know how you heard it, but what I’m saying is that I need you to be with me.”

“Yeah. But still, no.”

“Hey.”

“No. No way. Just... Just... Can’t you just... forget about me?”

“I told you I can’t!!!”

Yunho, who had been swallowing his rising anger due to Jaejoong's repeated "no" over and over again, sprang up and shouted. Jaejoong, who was crouching, opened his eyes in surprised at the sight. _“_ _What_ _’_ _s wrong with you? Why can_ _’_ _t you throw a scumbag like me away? I told you I like you. I love you. I_ _’_ _m gay. But how can I tell you to be different from the others because of me? I can't do it. I can't do it even if I love you._ _”_

Jaejoong followed Yunho to stand, swallowing a trembling sigh and holding his tears from falling. Because of the slight height difference, Jaejoong slightly raised his head and looked up directly into Yunho's eyes. _“But honestly..._ _I_ _’_ _m so thankful_ _, and I shouldn't do this, but I think I'll love you_ _even_ _more_ _if I don_ _’_ _t_ _._ _You care for me this much. You cared enough to even consider to be like me. You said you needed me. You, Jung Yunho._ _”_

“Then.... Jung Yunho, let’s do it like this.”

“.....”

“For the time being, just for a short while, wait for me. I’ll get over you and go back to being your friend. Okay? We were originally friends, anyway.”

“.....”

“I think I can do it if I try.... That’s why―”

“No.”

Jaejoong’s words of determination stopped. _“_ _Please..._ _”_

“I can’t wait.”

“Jung Yunho...”

“I can see what you're thinking. Because you were afraid I'd go wrong because of you? Because I’d become gay if I like you? You don’t want that, don’t you? Don’t you?”

“.....”

“You said you love me. So, don't do it for yourself. Do it for me. Because I don't care about what you're worried about. Just stay by my side for me. I don’t hate liking you. I said I'll do it because I want to.”

Yunho's face, which had been crooked by anger, had already been straightened out. Rather, he had a smile on his lips. He looked down at Jaejoong and said, “I said I'll love you... You rockhead.”

* * *

After staying out without a word, their mom and dad got really angry, and now she couldn't even call him because he turned his phone off. Ahjoong just laughed sullenly. Jaejoong must really had a girlfriend for a long time.Since she forced Yunho to meet him at the restaurant the other day, she was worried about Jaejoong staying home for a few days and living in a deserted house, but looking at Jaejoong who went to meet his friend yesterday afternoon, Ahjoong was relieved.

If it was like before, she would have been prying at him “Who’s your friend?” but now she had been feeling so sorry, so she just let it go. But he didn't come home without contacting anyone. It was something that she had expected for a long time, but now that she had such a clear premonition, she felt bitter inside. _“Kim Jaejoong… This brat is all grown up. Staying over at his girlfriend’s…_ ”

Her nose is all crunched up again. It's time for her to get tired of this feeling, but tears filled up her eyes again. It’s just, she was upset. She was so resentful of herself after making it so hard for his one and only younger brother, that she had to give up on YunJae .

It's been a few days since she turned on the computer. If it was before, she would have been stuck in front of her computer whenever she was at home, but despite Young's words that the cafes were busy these days, Ahjoong didn't even take care of it. Seated on the floor with her legs in her arms, Ahjoong then stood up with a deep breath. She hesitated a little bit before turning on the computer.

When the computer was turned on, she changed the photoshopped wallpaper of Yunho and Jaejoong to another picture. She deleted all the photos and fanfics of YunJae stored in her computer. With her forehead in the rounded part of the mouse, Ah-jung breathed a long sigh. Bumping her forehead with the round part of the mouse, Ahjoong breathed a long sigh. “Will I regret this?” she muttered, picking up the cell phone next to the monitor. She then pressed a familiar number.

< “Hey, what’s up with you?!” >

“Youngie- _eonni…._ ”

< “You've been out of touch since YunJae met the other day. What happened?" >

“ _Eonni_ …”

< “Urgh, so frustrating. Won't you hurry up and tell me? I didn't say anything about Jaejoong leaving the restaurant while crying. I just posted that they met, and I managed to save the cafe again. But now that you're not helping―” >

“I’m quitting.”

There was no answer for a moment from the other line after Ahjoong's short remark. After a while, Young asked Ahjoong if she had misheard her.

< “Quit what?” >

“YunJae-Making.”

< “.....Are you mad? Just turn on the computer quickly. Don't be so cheap.” >

“ _Eonni_ , I’m being serious…”

< “....Hey.” >

She just want to go back to the time when she first started liking U-Know. She’s going back to be a normal KNOW YOU. _“I knows I’m a fan club executive, so it’s not exactly normal, but... I just wanna be Kim Jaejoong's sister and Jung Yunho’s fan. I don’t want anything else… Besides, things like YunJae is not even real. I looked at everything with my eyes_ _rolling around_ _to all possible side_ _s_ _. I could see it well. YunJae is ridiculous. It’s delusional. Just for fun. The ones who took YunJae seriously… Min Young, Lee Mian, and Kim Malsook… Nope. Not them. It’s me, Kim Ahjoong_ _. I_ _’_ _m_ _the only one.”_

< “Seriously, what happened?” >

“I… I just wanna quit.”

< “Huff… This is crazy. Kim Ahjoong, I know you took YunJae seriously. I know, but…” >

“That’s why. Taking it seriously is a so moronic. That’s why I’m quitting.”

< “….Let’s talk when we meet next time.” >

“I won’t care even if we talk more. I’m really going to quit.”

She hung up the call after announcing “I’m hanging up,” to Young. _“That’s right… Since the first time I was really the only one who took YunJae seriously. This human who_ _claim to be_ _Kim Jaejoong’s sister… Not even thinking it thoroughly, I took it seriously. The only one who really wanted them to connect to each other… Kim Ahjoong was the only one.”_

“ _Eonni_ , I think…. I really am mad…”

* * *

“I’m going now. Make sure you eat properly.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“.….”

“You made it, so I’m gonna eat it with you. If you go, then I’m not eating.”

_“Are you a kid? You ke_ _ep_ _calling me a kid, a baby…. You’re as good as one too._ ” In an awkward atmosphere, Jaejoong turned around to get out of the place, but was caught right away. Jaejoong had to put back the coat he had worn because of Yunho's refusal to eat without him. He shook his head and went to heat up the cooled down soup, and began to scoop up rice into a bowl. Suddenly, Yunho brought another bowl and scooped up rice next to him.

“Hey what the hell?”

“Why only one bowl? I said you’re eating with me.”

_“Am I scooping your rice and you’re scooping mine? We’re not even a freaking married couple… “_ At this sudden thought, Jaejoong's face went hot. Yunho, who was putting a bowl full of rice on the table, smiles at Jaejoong's red face again.

“You just thought we’re like a newlywed couple.”

“.….”

_“_ _This know-it-all bastard._ _”_ In the relaxed atmosphere, Jaejoong burst into a laughter and put Yunho's bowl on one side of the table. He took out some side dishes from the fridge, put them on the table, and moved the soup that was beginning to boil to in-between the side dishes. When he saw Yunho sitting in a chair in a relaxed manner, Jaejoong pouted his lips. Finally, Jaejoong, who brought two pairs of spoons and chopsticks, sat on the opposite of Yunho.

Handing the spoon and chopsticks to Yunho, Jaejoong took the lid off the pot. The steam came up rapidly. “I really don’t wanna eat, though....” he muttered, looking down at the bowl of rice that Yunho scooped for him.

“Hiek! Hey! Who’s gonna eat all of this?!”

“Why? I think you’ll eat that much?”

“I’m not you!”

The rice was stacked like a mountain. How hard did he even press down the rice that it’s hard to dig them with the spoon? The amount is like twice the bowl could accommodate. When he started arguing, Yunho chortled while scooping the soup. Jaejoong scooped up two-thirds of his rice and moved them to Yunho’s bowl. Yunho let out an annoyed squeak. After a long time of eating and fooling around, the two hungry people ended up sharing their breakfast in half and half.

Yunho, who hasn’t eaten breakfast in a long time, felt his stomach bloating, but looking at Jaejoong who ate well even though he didn’t want to eat, he was able to continue eating enthusiastically. Yunho who hadn’t been able to meet Jaejoong for a long time, felt that he liked the atmosphere. This is really how it should be. The familiar and comfortable feeling of doing everything alone that he had felt up until now was just a misconception. Yunho really needs someone.... No. He really needs Kim Jaejoong to be by his side.

“What are we gonna do?”

“......I don’t know.”

“But then again, it’s no use thinking about it. You’re mine, anyway.”

“........You’re crazy.... seriously......”

He almost spat what he had been eating. He wouldn’t have imagined that Jung Yunho, out of all people, would say something like that. Jaejoong coughed, tapping on his chest, acting like he’s getting indigestion. Then, Yunho bursts into a fresh laughter. Jaejoong kept his head down and pretended to throw up. He drew a gentle smile on his mouth.

_“Really... am I allowed to do this?”_

“Heheh, hey, Kim Jaejoong.”

“ ** ***coughs***** What do you want, you punk? *****cough***** ”

“Huh... Who’s the punk here?”

“Get lost?”

“Hahah.. Anyway. Don’t ever feel sorry again in the future. Okay?”

“.....”

_“_ _I might have liked you much earlier than you did. Maybe since 3 years ago. I can't stand it if I'm not with you. If we_ _’_ _re together, I felt happiness, a feeling that's unfamiliar to me. That_ _’_ _s what love is... Not_ _“_ _I_ _’_ _ll love you._ _”_ _Not_ _“_ _I wanna love you._ _”_ _“_ _I love you_ _”_ _was probably the right words._


	22. YJ Project - Chapter 22.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why? You wanna kiss?”

< “Hello _Nuna_! Eh, is Jaejoong in my home? .... Ah... Yeah, the punk hasn’t contacted me since yesterday~ Huh? Ah, I didn’t meet him yesterday. I’m like his only friend. Ah, that’s not it.... I only have three days left. Yeah, that’s why... I'm afraid I can't get in touch with you. Eh, it’s okay~ Ah, really? Yay!! Yes! If you get in touch with him later, please tell him Kang Jungwoo is totally upset. Yes, thank you very much, _Nuna_ ~” >

Somehow, after finishing the phone call with the noisy Jungwoo, Ahjoong laid down on the bed. The person Jaejoong met yesterday is definitely his girlfriend. She thought that he might go to Jungwoo’s house, but as what she fully expected, that wasn’t the case. Holding the cell phone tightly in her hand, Ahjoong sighed. She doesn’t even know how many times she has sighed already. She can't even congratulate her own brother for having a girlfriend.

She then stopped sighing when she remembered Jungwoo’s voice. Ahjoong smiled. _“_ _What does he like so much about me...?_ _”_ Jungwoo's voice was full of joy whenever he talked to Ahjoong. Especially when she told him to come over and said she would make him something delicious. He seemed to like it a little bit too much. “Cute brat,” she mumbled, tapping on her phone screen once. _“_ _I_ _’_ _m smiling because of you, you brat._ _”_

* * *

“Oh... My toothbrush is still here?”

Because he went to Yunho’s house so frequently, the toothbrush that he brought was stuck side by side with Yunho’s above the bathroom sink. Jaejoong was surprised to see that it’s still there, as he thought that Yunho would have thrown that away already. Upon hearing Jaejoong's words, Yunho walked into the bathroom and leaned against the door.

“You think I’ll throw it away?”

“Uh.... I would, if it was me.”

“Seriously? Look, I don’t know what you’ve been thinking during the time we didn’t meet, but as for me, I never even thought about completely breaking up with you.”

“.....Uhm....”

_“_ _This punk keep on saying touching things.... You_ _’_ _re making my heart weak._ _”_ When he saw Yunho’s figure reflected in the mirror, Jaejoong bowed his head, squeezed the toothpaste in a rough manner, and spread it on his toothbrush. _“_ _What a choice of words. Does he think we_ _’_ _re married or something?_ _”_ In order to hide his red face as much as possible, Jaejoong held his toothbrush in his mouth, still with his head bowed, pushed Yunho, who was leaning against the doorstep away strongly. Even in this situation, his loud laughter was pleasant to hear, so Jaejoong left the door open a little bit.

After brushing his teeth cleanly, Jaejoong came out of the bathroom, sat on the sofa and looked at Yunho who was watching the TV. Yunho then looked at Jaejoong for a moment and quickly turned his eyes back to the TV, which was a bit annoying according to Jaejoong. Jaejoong approached Yunho's side with his lower lip sticking out. When he sat on the spacious sofa, Yunho began to properly look at Jaejoong.

“Not gonna lie on my leg anymore?”

“Huh?”

“You'd usually lie down on my leg when you sit here.”

“....Tch.... I’m not doing that anymore.”

“Really? Well then.”

Jaejoong had to look down again as he remembered the memories of lying on Yunho's leg and hugging him nonchalantly, saying that it was just because it felt comfortable. He hadn’t been doing that since he realized he liked the other, but he couldn't do it even more now. Jaejoong was still pessimistic about his relationship with Yunho. First of all, it doesn't make sense, and also because he wasn’t even sure what kind of situation he was in.

While he was looking down, Yunho's eyes suddenly came into his vision. That really surprised him, and he let out a loud squeak. Judging from the circumstances, Yunho might be lying down on his legs. Both of his eyes are boring straight into Jaejoong’s. Jaejoong was so surprised that he tried to push him, but Yunho raised his hand and grabbed Jaejoong’s arm and scolded him, telling him to stay put.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“Why? You won’t do it, so isn’t it my turn now?”

_“_ _God.... You really like doing this with that expressionless face and colorless voice? You really like it, huh?_ _”_ Jaejoong couldn't keep his head down anymore, so now he opted to watch the TV. Because of the weight that he felt by his legs, Jaejoong couldn’t help but blush. He really need to get Yunho off him as soon as possible.

“Gain some weight, Kim Jaejoong. You’re all bones. It’s so sharp.”

“Then get up!”

“Nah.”

He was being teased again. Not getting weight is one of Jaejoong’s complexes. Jaejoong hit Yunho’s forehead with his palm, annoyedly telling him to get up, only to be completely refused, making him taken aback. Jaejoong, who was agonizing over how to get Yunho off of himself, suddenly opened his mouth as if something had come to his mind.

“Goddammit! Jung Yunho! Go brush your teeth, quick!”

“Did it.”

“Lies! Your toothbrush was in the bathroom!”

“I have another bathroom in my bedroom.”

“.....”

_“_ _This bastard is really gonna answer me like this when he said he_ _’_ _ll like me?_ _”_ Yunho’s habit of flustering other people with his curt answers, made Jaejoong shut his mouth with a huff. Now that he thought of it, Jaejoong was surprised by his own thoughts just now. _“_ _He_ _’_ _ll like me. Who. Aaahh... Jung Yunho..._ _”_ He was thinking hard and changing his expression rapidly, and soon he heard Yunho's playful words.

“Why do you care about my teeth so much?”

“W-what?”

“Why? You wanna kiss?”

“..............”

At the bomb-like words, Jaejoong jumped up from his spot. Yunho managed to hold onto the table in front of him, almost falling off the sofa. Yunho stood up and chuckled, watching Jaejoong’s back striding to the bathroom with a face that definitely have turned bright red. He went to the bathroom to check on Jaejoong who was probably going to wash his face. Jaejoong, who was about to wash his face, suddenly stopped and shouted without even looking back.

“You already made your surprise ambush earlier, you mean bastard!!!"

Then he slammed the door with a bang. Yunho who had been chuckling for a long time, let out a laugh, massaging his forehead. _“_ _When did I ever give you a surprise kiss? I only pecked you._ _”_ Yunho laughed out loud again, thinking that even if Jaejoong dated a girl, he’d probably had to suffer the same way as now.

Yunho heard Jaejoong’s voice whining about things from the bathroom. He leaned the back of his head against his hands, with his fingers intertwined, waiting for Jaejoong to come out. He was reminded of the action he did before he confessed earlier. What made him kiss Jaejoong? He hasn’t even realized anything at that moment. Yunho shrugged in wonder and lowered his hands. Then, he put one of his hands on his lips. _“_ _If I really like Jaejoong, then I_ _’_ _d be able to kiss him, right?_ _”_ he asked himself.

It wasn't long after that that Jaejoong came out of the bathroom, whining endlessly. As Yunho expected, he was washing his face. Jaejoong’s bangs was covered with drops of water that couldn’t have been dried off with a towel. Jaejoong tried to come to Yunho's side, but when their eyes met, he stepped back in surprise and fled to Yunho's bedroom.

Yunho shook his head and got up from the sofa. He headed to the room Jaejoong entered. When he tried to turn the doorknob to open it, it won't turn. Jaejoong had locked the door.

“Hey. Open up.”

“No!”

“This is my house.”

“That’s funny. It’s my house!”

_“_ _...Oho...?_ _”_

“Really? You already decided to marry me, eh? That’s fast~”

“...Shhiiiit!!!”

_“_ _I knew it._ _”_ Perhaps startled by Yunho's words, Jaejoong quickly opened the door.

“Who would marry you?!”

“What? You said it’s your house.”

“No! It’s not my house!”

“Okay okay~”

_“_ _As expected, Kim Jaejoong is still a kid._ _”_ He thought that Jaejoong had kinda matured when he pushed Yunho earlier. But now that he saw Jaejoong getting so worked up... When Yunho passed Jaejoong and went into the bedroom, Jaejoong tried to go out to the living room to make it obvious that he was trying to avoid Yunho.

Jaejoong thought that Yunho’s words were going overboard since earlier. Rather than about Yunho liking him, he was more sensitive about the fact that Yunho is liking someone of the same sex because of him. So every time he got surprised, the thought of _“_ _I should stop Yunho soon..._ _”_ would come to his mind.

As Jaejoong stepped out of the bedroom, Yunho grabbed him by the shoulder, so Jaejoong turned to Yunho, and then he froze. It was because Yunho bumped their lips exactly as he made Jaejoong turn around. Jaejoong's arms stretched awkwardly to both sides, as Yunho kissed him with one hand holding his shoulder and one hand holding his cheek. It was a short kiss that only lasted a few seconds, but Jaejoong felt his lips became too hot.

The time of their lips touching was short, but the time their lips separated was longer. Yunho slowly removed his lips from Jaejoong and wrapped his stiffened face with his hands. His reddened face felt hot on his hands. Yunho rose one eyebrow and spoke to Jaejoong in a low tone.

“Stop thinking. Stop getting surprised. I told you, didn’t I? I’ll do as I please. Whatever it is that you foolishly thought of, I’ll like you anyway.”

“.....”

“What will you get out of thinking with that head anyway? Just do as I say. I... It's the first time for me to be so stubborn with someone else.”

_“Aahhh… Seriously… What am I supposed to do?? In front of this man… What more can I do? This is the first time I’ve been loved… Should I give him this solidified love? I can’t even think of anything complex since this guy kept on blocking them.”_

“Why do you keep being so sly, anyway?”

“I'm afraid you'll think of weird things, so I’m not giving you any chance.”

“Huh?―”

Jaejoong closed his eyes slowly, tired of getting surprised by Yunho's unexpected remarks. Yunho then tapped on Jaejoong’s forehead, as the latter kept on closing his eyes again and again. Then Jaejoong slowly opened his eyelids and looked at Yunho's face. His face, which was filled with a shallow smile, was as dazzlingly gorgeous as ever. And now…. This man is becoming his lover.

As Yunho and Jaejoong fully accepted their new relationship, there was a lot of awkwardness between them for a few hours. However, after overcoming that time, the title "lovers" was literally just a name, as they started to play just like they used to, like watching the DVDs they borrowed, and at lunchtime Jaejoong would show off his cooking skill.

“But come to think of it, we’ve kissed three times and it's only been a few hours! You pervert!”

“....You call those “kisses”?”

“O-of course those are kisses!!”

“No no~ Should I teach you what real kisses are like?”

Yunho moved his index finger sideways when he said “No no~” Jaejoong rushed himself away from Yunho. At that, Yunho laughed out loud. Jaejoong stared at the other and hugged his own knees. _“How could a person act like that? God, what kind of man could suddenly become so weird??”_ The way he talk and his expressions were still rude, but his more sly attitude was driving Jaejoong crazy. Not only that he wasn’t used to it, but he had been smacked three times in a day on his innocent lips, which had only been kissed (more like a peck, but he insisted alone that it was his first kiss) once before by his girlfriend back in high school.

In any case, the awkward moment didn't go for long, and when it became comfortable again, the evening was almost over in a blink of an eye. Jaejoong checked the time and jumped up in surprise. Yunho looked up at him, wondering why he was so surprised.

“I have to go for part-time!”

“Don’t go.”

“....What?”

“Don’t go.”

Yunho bluntly said those words, lying on the sofa with his hand propping up his head. Jaejoong ignored him and started to dress up. At that, Yunho slowly sat up, scratching the back of his own head.

“I told you don’t go~”

“Yeah, but why??”

“Today, you and I... Anyway! You can just skip your part-time job for a day.”

“You and I... What? What is it?”

“Argh, forget it! Go then!”

For some reason, Yunho tried to hold Jaejoong back from going, persistently asking him to stay. Then, he suddenly got annoyed and told him to just go. Both Yunho and Jaejoong had a childish streak to their personalities, and both are on the same level. Maybe that’s why both of them are pretty difficult when talking about love and feelings.

After seeing Yunho’s cute act (from Jaejoong’s point of view, therefore it was very subjective), Jaejoong took his coat off again. He chuckled and looked down at Yunho, who was looking up at him from the sofa. To others, he might looked like he was angry, but somehow, Jaejoong could only describe his expression as cute. _“Is this_ _what_ _they call love_ _? It's_ _only_ _been hours since we decided to like each other, and I already felt like_ _we_ _’_ _ve been_ _lover_ _s for long_ _._ _Maybe it was because we had always been closer to being lovers than being friends from the beginning?_ _”_

In the end, Jaejoong took out his cell phone and asked the part-timer who worked before his shift to fill his shift. It was pretty easy since Jaejoong doesn’t really do this usually, and also, the part-timer was. a. _girl_. He felt a bit sorry that he had to leave his shift to her since he also did this to her because of Yunho once before, but that wasn’t for long. Jaejoong smiled at the thought of being able to extend his cozy time with Yunho a little longer.

They were watching the TV from the small sofa in a strange position. Yunho was lying on his side, supporting his head with one hand, just like how he was when he couldn’t stop Jaejoong from going earlier. Jaejoong was lying on his back, closely in front of Yunho, with a cushion below his head. Naturally, Yunho brought his arm up and wrapped it around Jaejoong’s waist, and Jaejoong casually overlapped his own hand on Yunho’s. It was a basic position when they were friends (by title only), so it was very natural. Suddenly, Jaejoong was reminded of his relationship with Yunho, and he almost fell off the sofa. Yunho, who was hugging his waist, caught him and fortunately he didn't fall off.

“T-this position is uncomfortable.”

“We always do this when we watch the TV, tho?”

“A-anyway. I’m getting off.”

“Feeling awkward again?”

Jaejoong tried to wriggle Yunho's arm away from his waist, but he failed thanks to Yunho’s strength. He had no choice but to stay still in that position. Then, a savior-like sound came to Jaejoong's ears. That was the sound of his cell phone ringing. Yunho had no choice but to release his arm, and Jaejoong took a deep breath and walked towards his coat where his cell phone was located.

He rummaged through the pocket, took out his cell phone and checked the screen. It was from Ahjoong. He bit on his lower lip before picking up the call.

< “Hello? Kim Jaejoong?” >

“Yeah?”

< “You punk! What are you doing, you brat?!” >

“...Ah, I’m sorry, _Nuna_. I have some things to do....”

< “Aside from staying overnight, Kang Jungwoo is enlisting in three days and you! What do you think you’re doing?” >

“......”

_“_ _Ah, right. I forgot. Kim Jaejoong, you idiot! How could you forget that....?_ _”_ Jaejoong began to hit his head with his fist, putting a regretful face. _“_ _Jungwoo is going... Now the only friend I can spend time with is Yunho...._ _”_ The thought made his face turns red again and Jaejoong was now banging his head against the wall.

“Kim Jaejoong! What happened? Who’s that?”

“Huh? Ssshttt!”

< “Hello?” >

“Uh, _Nuna_...”

_“_ _That really surprised the_ _hell_ _out of me..._ _”_ There was an emergency situation where Yunho's voice could have been heard beyond the phone.

< “Hey. Who was that just now?” >

“Huh? Ah.... A friend.”

< “Friend? Which friend? That was a man’s voice, tho.... You weren’t with your girlfriend?” >

“Whaat??!! Are you crazy?! I don’t have a girlfriend! Why do you keep suspecting me?!”

< “Ah... I see...” >

_“_ _What... Why does she sound so relieved...?_ _”_

< “Anyway, come back home quickly, Jaejoong- _ah_.”

“Okay~”

Before he knew it, Yunho had walked towards Jaejoong, hugging his shoulder from behind, and putting his chin on it, making his ears tickle.

“Your sis?”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t tell your family that you’re close to me?”

“Huh? Ah... No.”

“Why?”

_“_ _Why, oh why, indeed. It_ _’_ _s because she_ _’_ _s one of your_ _rabid_ _fangirls._ _”_ Jaejoong shook Yunho off his shoulder with a silent shrug.


	23. YJ Project - Chapter 23.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This is hella good... This is hella delicious... This is made by Ahjoong-nunim...”

Since she threw YunJae away, Ahjoong got a lot of free time. She also doesn’t have any lessons today, so she enthusiastically played the game she downloaded a few days ago to kill time. She used to go “What’s so fun about games anyway?!” but once she fell for it, she realized that nothing else was an easier time-killer than this was. She was working hard clicking the mouse and pressing the keyboard to shoot bullets, when she heard the doorbell rang from the outside.

“Kim Jaejooooong~~ Check the door!”

She called Jaejoong and tried to concentrate again, but she kept hearing the doorbell and nothing else from outside. “Dammit, Kim Jaejoong!” she called out to him once more, and then she stopped. Now that she thought of it, Jaejoong wasn’t home today. “That bastard kept going around these days… What an ass…” she grumbled, turned her computer off, and left the room. When she arrived in the living room, she pressed the intercom, and found herself looking at a familiar face along with a familiar voice.

< “Kim Jaejoong open the door~” >

“I’m Ahjoong, tho.”

< “Ack, good morning, _Nuna_! Please open the door~”

Ahjoong tilted her head, opened the door, and let Jungwoo enter the house. But then…. But then….

“Pfftttt…..”

“Ah, _Nuna,_ don’t laugh~”

No way. This is so shocking. Jungwoo, who was walking while awkwardly scratching his own head, had cut his hair short. It was funny to see Jungwoo, who always had his hair long, even longer than Jaejoong, and sometimes even tied it up, with short chestnut haircut. It wasn’t because it didn’t suit him, but because it was so different from his usual image.

Even if Ahjoong answered with an “Okay,” Jungwoo kept on whimpering nonstop, while walking inside the house. He probably was embarrassed as he wrapped his hands around his head, which of course wasn’t completely covered, as he smiled awkwardly. Ahjoong then brought a glass of juice for Jungwoo who was sitting in the living room sofa.

“ _Nuna_ , do I look that funny?”

“Huh? Heheh... No... Not real― pffft―”

“Ah, _Nuna_ ~”

“No no~ It suits you really well~ Your head is small, so even if you shave everything, it’ll suit you. It was just so sudden so it’s kinda funny.. Heheheh..”

Maybe because he liked the compliment about his small head, Jungwoo drank a sip of juice out of embarrassment. Ahjoong laughed when she saw that.

“Ahaha. Where’s Kim Jaejoong?”

“Kim Jaejoong? I don’t know where that brat is. He kept wandering around everyday to who knows where... Even if yesterday and the day before yesterday he was with you, he kept going out until the day you enlist. Does he really have no girlfriend?”

“Of course. There’s no way I wouldn’t find out if he does. But these days, he’s been meeting someone... He didn’t tell me, tho.”

Ahjoong briefly smiled as she stroked Jungwoo’s rough hair once. Jungwoo was startled and smiled awkwardly, and Ahjoong headed to the kitchen, saying, “It's the last time, so I have to keep my promise.”

She was talking about the promise to make Jungwoo something delicious a few days ago on the phone. However, since Jaejoong was so much better than her at cooking, she doesn’t usually go to the kitchen, so now she felt hopeless. _“_ _Dammit_ _!_ _”_ Only now that she regretted the promise she made. Thinking that she’ll just make kimchi fried rice, she took out the kimchi from the fridge and began cutting them.

Ahjoong began to make to make the rice when she heard Jungwoo saying, “I’m gonna watch the TV~” She smiled at Jungwoo’s antics. _“_ _That punk is getting cuter as I see him... His short hair is kinda funny, but it_ _’_ _s also manly..._ _”_ Knowing that Jungwoo was watching her back while the TV was on, Ahjoong cooked in a more feminine way. She wondered if she looked as pretty from the back.

As the kimchi fried rice turns red, Ahjoong moved them to the bowl which then she put on the table, before calling Jungwoo. The table was all set, complete with some side dishes and spoons and chopsticks. Jungwoo said “Wow, this looks delicious!” in admiration, as he sat on the chair.

“I’m sorry. I said I was gonna make something delicious.....”

“No, _Nuna_! I reaa~lly love kimchi fried rice!”

“That’s good to hear... Eat it well~”

“’Kay!”

Jungwoo picked up a spoon with a smile and scooped the rice up and put it in his mouth. “Um... This taste...” He began to think.... _“_ _This is hella_ _good... This is_ _hella_ _delicious... This is made by Ahjoong-_ nunim _..._ _”_ Jungwoo tried hard to brainwash himself, and drew the corner of his lips. He looked at the love of his life, Ahjoong- _nunim_ , whose eyes were shining, waiting for a response from him. How is he going to say this....

“Wow.... This... _Nuna,_ this is so delicious! Amazing!!”

“Really? Hahah that’s a relief!”

Jungwoo began to eat as slowly, as deliciously as possible. It’s true that no matter how strange the kimchi fried rice taste like, thanks to Ahjoong’s face so close in front of him, he couldn’t taste anything bad. He ate a spoon, looked at her face, ate a spoon, looked at her face. His taste bud has lost its function. Jungwoo gulped down another bite and spoke to Ahjoong as if he suddenly remembered something.

“ _Nuna_. You know, that time you suddenly sent me a text calling me a bad guy and stopped contacting me? What happened?”

“Huh?....”

_“_ _I did that...?_ _”_ Ahjoong tried to remember for a while. She thought hard and stopped when YunJae came to her mind. She remembered using Jungwoo to make the fansigning incident succeed. She suddenly felt like snatching the bowl that Jungwoo was currently eating from (which Jungwoo would be really thankful for, to be honest...). Her anger subsided again when she remembered that she quit YunJae-Making.

“Ah, that... Well, that time I asked you to bring Jaejoong to a music store, but you didn’t do it.....”

“Eh? .... Ah! That day U-Know held a fansign?”

“Huh?”

“I brought him there, though? We thought that we were lucky that we even got his sign? But I’m over that already. You even give me food this time. Hahahah!”

_“_ _Say what...? Brought what...? Got what....? Then... That means the fansign_ _plan_ _succeeded?_ _”_ Ahjoong had her eyes wide open, dumbfounded. _“_ _But then again, what_ _’_ _s the use of it anyway... I_ _’_ _m not doing YunJae-Making anymore._ _”_ Ahjoong had a sullen face again. It was weird that Ahjoong kept changing her expression by herself, but Jungwoo found her pretty anyway. Jungwoo kept on eating, thinking that it was unfair that he did nothing wrong, yet got scolded for it.

* * *

“You didn’t have to take me home...”

“I want to.”

“Tch,”

Yunho took Jaejoong to his house in the chilly early morning and begged the other to cook for him. Jaejoong was taken aback, but he followed Yunho anyway. Until yesterday, he was busy with the farewell party and all, but he forgot about Jungwoo on the actual day. Instead, he ate together together with Yunho and played like crazy.

Thanks to Yunho, now they arrived at Jaejoong’s house by Yunho’s car, even when Jaejoong said he could go home alone. Yunho stopped his car in front of the house, since he was in danger of getting caught by Ahjoong because he parked in the parking lot too often. Thinking that Yunho should go as soon as possible, Jaejoong was urgently loosening his seat belt, when he heard his cell phone ring. “Urgh, what the―” he grumbled, picking his phone up instead of unfastening his seat belt. He could hear Jungwoo’s voice.

< “Hey. Where are you?” >

“......Ah, that’s right!!!! Hey Kang Jungwoo where are you??”

< “I asked you first, asshole.” >

“I must be crazy... I’m really sorry.”

< “I’m at your house. Come here quick.” >

Jaejoong was relieved at the thought that he could see Jungwoo before he left. He continued to talk over the phone as he looked at Yunho, who finished unfastening his seat belt for him.

“Ah really? I just got home. I’ll go up soon... But, your train is at 2 right....? Ack! You stupid idiot!! It’s half past one now, dumbass!!”

“....What?!?!?!? Argh fuck!!! I forgot the time since I was with Ahjoong _-nunim_!! Arghhh what do I do?!!”

“What do you do you ask??!! Come out now you crazy bastard!”

What kind of storm is this? Jungwoo stopped by Jaejoong's house and was about to go to the station because he finished greeting his parents a few days ago. But thanks to Ahjoong, he didn't realize time passing. Jaejoong saw Jungwoo coming out of the house, and then he quickly opened the window of the car and motioned at the other.

“Hey! Get in quick, you idiot! Yunho- _ya_ , drive him to the station while you’re out.”

“Huh?”

“What are you doing?!? Kang Jungwoo get in quick!!”

Jungwoo who was running as fast as he could slowed down when he saw a flashy car. Seeing that, Jaejoong urged him to get in quickly, and Jungwoo quickly opened the backseat door and got in the car. Jaejoong tapped Yunho's shoulder, who was as stiff as Jungwoo, to start driving. Jungwoo, who was catching his breath in the back seat, gradually calmed down. Then, he saw him.

“UWAAAAAAAHH!!”

“What’s wrong?”

“U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-KNOOOOOOW?!?!?!?!”

“Huh? Ah....”

He was so surprised that he pointed his finger at Yunho, who was driving, and stuttered. Jaejoong, who finally realized the situation, muttered to himself and raked his hair to the back. He was in such a hurry that he didn’t think about it. The fact that the one who’s driving right now is that ‘U-Know’.

Yunho, who was slightly offended at the pointing finger, scowled. Jaejoong quickly pushed the finger away. He also pushed his friend away when said friend moved his head forward to the front seat and stared wide-eyed at Yunho. Jaejoong lightly bit his lower lip and sighed.

“This is crazy, seriously... Kang Jungwoo. So, this―”

“You.. are... U-U-Know....right? U-Know- _nim_!!! God!!!”

“Haha... Yes...”

He said “U-Know- _nim_ ”... Yunho felt like he had heard that a lot before. Then he remembered that was how Jaejoong called him when they first met. So Yunho answered him with a slightly awkward laugh. When Jungwoo heard Yunho's answer, he kept wailing and saying incoherent things. He was so surprised that he couldn’t close his eyelids and mouth. It felt like he suddenly became someone from another country, as he kept blabbering things that couldn’t be understood. In the end, Jaejoong blocked his mouth with his palm.

“Why would you bother him while he’s driving? Ah... So, Yunho is...”

“Fwah!! Ah, don’t cover my mouth! Hey! What is it what is it? Why is U-Know- _nim_... U-Know _-nim_ , do you remember me? I brought Jaejoong to the fansign. Did you two got closer that day? Kim Jaejoong, you’re close to U-Know- _nim_?? Is that so? The person you meet so early in the morning is U-Know- _nim_? Is this U-Know- _nim_ ’s car? Wow it’s hella cool.. Ah! So the friend you keep meeting these days is U-Know _-nim_? Wow that’s crazy seriously wow... Oomph―”

Jaejoong covered Jungwoo’s mouth with his hand again. Yunho laughed from time to time, probably finding Jungwoo who kept calling him ‘U-Know- _nim_ ’ funny. Jaejoong covered Jungwoo’s mouth with one hand and hit his head with the other hand. After doing that for a long time, Jungwoo's shoulders were less wiggly, as if he had calmed down.

Only then did Jaejoong let go of his headlock, and Jungwoo turned his head a couple of times to fix his sore head. After breathing out deep breaths several times, Jungwoo stretched out his palms and slapped his cheek several times. Then, he began to glance back and forth at Yunho and Jaejoong, who were sitting side by side in the driver’s seat and the passenger seat.

“So. U-Know- _nim_ , and this bastard Kim Jaejoong know each other?”

When Jungwoo who already calmed down asked the question, Yunho only chuckled and nodded, while Jaejoong turned to look at the backseat. He was a lot calmer now, but he still had his soulless expression on and his mouth was still hung open. Jaejoong sighed again.

“Yeah. It’s a long story.... Anyway it’s been a while since I got close to Yunho. I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you, but you really should keep this secret from _nuna_ or anyone else, got it?”

“Wow... Amazing... Awesome... How did this happen...”

“You shouldn’t keep being shocked. You would get beaten up while training later. Come back to your sense.”

“Huh? Ah.... Shocked... I’m not shocked! I’m just... a bit surprised. My friend Kim Jaejoong is amazing! U-Know- _nim_ , I respect you! How did you befriend such a jerk?”

“Hey!”

Yunho laughed again as Jaejoong hit Jungwoo’s head with his fist once again. Thanks to Jungwoo's great adaptability, the term "shocked" quickly disappeared among them. “I was stuttering so hard until now, but turns out that we’re the same age so can I drop the formal speech?” He began to joke around with Yunho, even talking about Jaejoong’s flaws. Jaejoong just clicked his tongue, fold his arms, and took his eyes off the two.

And before he knew it, Jungwoo arrived at the station where he had to take the train. He’s running out of time, so as soon as the car stopped, Jungwoo greeted Yunho, saying, “See you again.” Jaejoong also told Yunho to wait, got out of the car and ran with Jungwoo to see him off.

Jaejoong and Jungwoo managed to get to the platform just before the train arrived. And now they're starting to get serious. Jaejoong forced his lips to smile, and reached out to Jungwoo. Jungwoo shook Jaejoong’s hand several times, and then pulled the other into a tight hug. Jaejoong continued to force a smile and patted Jungwoo on the back. By then, the train came in with a creaking sound.

“Jerk, you’re good, huh? How did you get a celeb friend? And U-Know on top of that.”

“Eh, stop that~ Anyway, don’t die there and come back well.”

“Don’t worry. Oh, and while I’m not there, stop fighting with Ahjoong- _nunim_ and take care of her.”

“Ouhh, why does it feel like Kim Ahjoong is your wife? ....What did you do with my sis today?”

“Well... We just ate and yeah.”

“Did you confess?”

“......”

Jungwoo smiled bitterly at Jaejoong’s question.

“You crazy? How could I?”

“Why? It’s last minutes.”

“This won’t happen, but _if_ Ahjoong- _nunim_ does like me, then she had to wait for 2 years. I can’t do that.”

Jaejoong was slightly moved. Even though she’s kinda hateful, Jungwoo still liked her this much. _“_ _As expected, you_ _’_ _re much better off, you punk._ ”

“...Ouuh, that pissed me off.”

“Heheh. Take care of yourself. I’ve gotta go.”

“Okay...”

Jungwoo went inside the train. Then he sat down, checked his ticket, and waved his hand to Jaejoong through the window. Jaejoong also waved widely to Jungwoo, and the train slowly set off. As he looked at the train, which gradually accelerated and quickly disappeared, Jaejoong chewed his lips.

He expected that he’d cry when Jungwoo joined the army, but thanks to a certain someone waiting for him outside the station, the welled up tears in his eyes went back inside.

“Sorry, my friend. Even without you, there’s someone better for me to be sad over.”

“Huff..” He sighed a lot today. Jaejoong wiped his face a couple of times before leaving the platform. Among the countless cars parked in the parking lot, Yunho's car shines the most. When he opened the passenger's door and got into the car, Yunho reached out and swept Jaejoong's hair. This behavior, which he used to hate to the point of grinding his teeth, had become Jaejoong's favorite thing these days.

“Did you cry?”

“Why would I?”

“He’s your only friend, no?”

“Get lost!”

“We really only have each other now. You know that, right?”

“.....”

Jaejoong, who looked into Yunho's eyes without saying a word, moved to brush his lips against Yunho’s first.

“You’re probably all confused because of Kang Jungwoo today, but I’m really thankful. I’m going first~”

“I’ll call you later.”

“Okay. Go quick~”

After waving his hands, Jaejoong got out of Yunho's car and headed to his home. There was someone watching Jaejoong enter his room as soon as he came in. When Jaejoong's room door was shut, Ahjoong quickly escaped from her room. _“_ _Now is the time!_ _”_ Ahjoong, who was always so curious about the owner of that car, quickly stole Jaejoong's Samdidas slippers and came out.

The car hasn’t left yet... Ahjoong embraced her curiosity that was about to explode and carefully walked towards the car.


	24. YJ Project - Chapter 24.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anyhow... if Ahjoong really quits, then they really should shut YunJae-Making down, right?

Ahjoong slowly crept to the car that Jaejoong got off from. As she got near the car, she bent her body so that she couldn’t be seen from inside the car. Eventually, she reached the tinted window, and “Hup!” she straightened her knees to stand up. Then, she knocked on the window. She expected the window to roll down, but there was no movement at all. She tilted her head, walking to the direction of the car bonnet and decided to check the face of the car’s owner.

....!!!

“No one’s inside...” She felt dejected, “Dammit!”, she grumbled, kicking the innocent tire. Then she trudged back home again. Thinking that the car owner would show up, Ahjoong looked back once again, but no one showed up. _“Next time, I'll find out before Kim Jaejoong gets_ _off!_ _”_ She was determined as she clenched her fists.

She went up the stairs to get into the house, and raised her hand to open the front door... But then she heard a “Vroooom―” as the car sped up. Surprised, she walked back down the stairs, but as she was wearing Jaejoong's slippers which were too big for her, and the slipper fell off her feet. “Urgh, fuck!!!” She spat out a curse and climbed up the stairs again, properly wearing the slippers, and ran down the stairs again. But the car was already far off. Ahjoong looked like she was about to cry.

On the other hand, Yunho turned off the engine and answered the phone when the phone rang while he was trying to start the car. As expected, it was his manager. Maybe it was because his cell phone was too old, but the phone wasn’t working well. So, Yunho had no choice but to get out of the car and hid behind the building in fear that people would pass by, and answered the phone.

After the call, Yunho got into the car and started the car immediately. By the time he got out of the parking lot, he saw a woman rushing out. Yunho thought that there’s no way that the woman was trying to follow him, so he started driving.

* * *

Young, who was managing the cafe, let out a deep sigh and slammed her forehead on the desk. She felt like dying these days. She wanted to save the cafe during the Korean restaurant incident, but Ahjoong’s retirement made everything went down the drain. Since Ahjoong was in charge of the report, the members were disappointed when YunJae had no progress report. And since it has been a week since Ahjoong’s left without saying a word, they got in trouble. It was because Ahjoong took care of the cafe the most and was receiving the greatest attention and trust because of the fact that she’s Jaejoong’s sister.

Young, who was the head of the cafe, had [YunJae’s mom] as a nickname. Ahjoong is [YunJae’s _nuna_ ], Mian is [YunJae’s lover], and Malsuk is [YunJae’s lil sis]. However, there were only three admins who were taking care of YunJae-Making Cafe these days, excluding [YunJae’s nuna], so questions and complaints from the members were being thrown into the feedback room. And the most important thing is... the number of members had fallen to four digits.

They are now posting questions about the whereabouts of [YunJae’s _nuna_ ] in the feedback room, and comments were posted everywhere. There was no way to answer these questions. It was because if she gave out excuses, the story would grow bigger and everyone would get into a fight. In order to prevent this from happening, even if YunJae hadn’t made any progress, she had to quickly get Ahjoong back. She doesn't know what caused Ahjoong to go into a slump, but she needed her now no matter how.

Lying face down on her desk and moving her mouse around meaninglessly, Young eventually picked her phone up. If she doesn't pick up the call again, she will go to Ahjoong’s house right away. After a while, when she still couldn’t hear Ahjoong's voice, Young slowly got up from her chair and began to turn off the computer. And as soon as she was about to hang up, she heard a voice from Ahjoong.

< “Oh, _Eonni_!” >

“...Kim Ahjoong. You’re still alive?”

< “Of course~ It’s been a while since we last met.” >

“Did something good happen to you? Why do you sound like that?”

< “Not really. I usually sound like this, tho~” >

She sounded like she was in a good mood. The last time she spoke to her on the phone, she said she’s quitting YunJae in a dying voice. Young began to bring up the story because she wanted to turn Ahjoong’s mind back.

“What are you doing now?”

< “Just watching the TV.” >

“You’re not on your computer?”

< “.... _Eonni_. Don’t talk about YunJae-Making. I said I quit.” >

Young puffed out her lips because of Ahjoong who answered in a subdued voice. _“You're so mean. Why are you_ _suddenly_ _so serious?”_

“You know that without you, we have to shut down YunJae-Making.”

< “....” >

“I don’t know what made you become so serious like this, but U-Know is not dating any girl, and neither is Jaejoong. Isn’t our goal to make them get close even just a little bit? At least that’s what Mian, Malsook, and I thought. But without you, Jaejoong the main character would disappear too. What do we do then?”

< “That’s why, let’s just stop, _Eonni_...” >

“Ahjoong- _ah_...”

< “You know? I wonder if there are tens of thousands more of idiotic girls like me. Wouldn't it be good for everyone if they’re all gone?” >

_“_ _Ah, looks like you already set your heart on it._ _”_ Young ruffled her short hair, and hung up the call. No, but who would actually think these couples are real? A 25 years old woman? She was angry at Ahjoong, but she also sympathized with her. Actually, without even thinking about it seriously, what kind of sister would push her younger brother into these kind of things? Anyhow... if Ahjoong really quits, then they really should shut YunJae-Making down, right?

Young, also Mian and Malsook, were getting tired of doing YunJae-Making without Ahjoong.

* * *

Today as usual, Jaejoong was at the books and videos rental shop for a part-time job. Maybe because it was a weekday in the opening season, there weren't many customers today, so Jaejoong played around. Well, playing here only meant reading comic books, but it was heaven compared to other times when he had to work all the time.

He was giggling while reading the comic, when he started to receive texts from Yunho. Before, Jaejoong almost always send the texts first, but these days, the occasions where Yunho started texting first had increased. Especially when when he had schedules like broadcast recording, he’d send him reports via text messages. He sent a short reply to Yunho who was at the broadcast station, mumbling “He totally doesn’t care about his lover,” as he went back to read the comic with a pissed off face.

School had started again, so these days he couldn't meet Yunho for a long time, but he met him much more often than during vacation. It was because Yunho's third album promotion was almost over, so he had a lot of free schedules. Thanks to that, they met almost once a day, although he couldn't stay long.

While occasionally texting Yunho and reading comic books, Jaejoong raised his head to look at the person who gave out two books to borrow. After polite greetings and confirmation, the customer left the store. _“There really isn’t much people today…_ ” Jaejoong glanced around the awkwardly quiet store and stretched his body. Two girls were choosing a book in the romance comic book section, and in the martial arts section, a tall man with a great style was leaning against the bookshelf and reading something. _“Wow… He’s so tall… Just like Yunho._ ” He got annoyed at his own thoughts, hitting himself on the head. _"This_ _idiot only has_ _Jung Yunho_ _in his mind_ _."_

With his arms up supporting his chin on the counter, he looked around the view of the empty store. The tall man loitered around and walked towards Jaejoong with a book in one hand. The man was wearing a hat on top of his hoodie and a sunglasses with big lenses. _“I feel like I’ve seen him before…”_ he thought with a frown on his forehead. When the man arrived at the counter, Jaejoong had to lift his head.

“Oh…..”

“0206. Jung Yunho.”

_“_ _I_ _’_ _m going_ _crazy_ _because of you._ _”_ At that moment, he was tempted to sing that song from a certain comedy program. As if he knew how Jaejoong felt, Yunho slowly took off his sunglasses and raised the corners of his lips as he looked down at Jaejoong. _“Even at such an absurd moment…. This jerk is still crazily cool._ ”

“You said you were at a broadcast station.”

“Nah. I’ve been here for a while. You really didn’t know?”

“What kind of person would imagine that you’re U-Know?”

“Lower your voice.”

Fortunately, the two girls at the romance comics section didn’t hear him as they kept talking to themselves. After glancing at that side, Jaejoong frowned and whispered to Yunho.

“How did you know this place….?”

“Hey, come on quickly lend me this. 0206. Jung Yunho.”

“.....You’re registered?”

“Well, maybe it's so old that it's gone. Try it anyway.”

Jaejoong opened his eyes wide when Yunho recited his phone number, registration number, and his name, as if he had been registered. When Yunho first gave Jaejoong his number and name, he thought the other was just joking to let him know that he was Yunho, but now that the other asked to lend him a book under that name… He thought _“Nah, there’s no way…”_ as he flipped the book to check number 0206. He read the few names listed…. and among them, the name [Jung Yunho] was clearly engraved. When he raises his head to look at Yunho in surprise, he took the book Yunho was holding.

As he scanned the barcode on an impulse and gave it back, Yunho reached his hand out to ruffle Jaejoong’s hair. At the touch of affection, Jaejoong finally relaxed and smiled at Yunho. Yunho then took a peek at the two girls at the other end, swept Jaejoong's bangs up, and quickly pecked Jaejoong's forehead. Jaejoong stepped back, frightened by what had just happened in the blink of an eye, while Yunho just laughed.

“A-are you crazy?! What if people saw that?”

“That’s why I looked around beforehand. And if they saw that, so what? They could only see my back.”

“What a selfish man.”

Jaejoong frowned, shaking his head. He awkwardly scratched his just-got-pecked-by-Yunho forehead. He was staring at Yunho, and saw that the two school girls had brought what appear to be a dozens of books to be borrowed. Yunho quickly stepped aside, wearing his sunglasses back. Jaejoong greeted them as he gathered his breath.

The girls looked back and forth between Jaejoong and the owner of the wide back, Yunho. They looked curious, but Jaejoong ignored them, silently scanning the barcodes. Judging from their little chatters, they probably didn’t see what Yunho and Jaejoong did, as they admired Jaejoong’s looks and Yunho’s back just like everyone else.

After the time-consuming rental procedures, the girls left the store after being greeted by Jaejoong. That left only Yunho and Jaejoong inside the store. Pretending to look for something on the side, Yunho strode towards Jaejoong’s direction again.

“What happened? Why are there no people here?”

“Today is.... Who cares. When did you come here anyway?”

“...Dunno...”

With his arms leaning against the counter, Yunho began to reach his hand out to Jaejoong’s face. _“_ _This guy_ _’_ _s good at everything, but he gets more sly as time passes._ _”_ But since Jaejoong didn’t want Yunho’s slight rudeness to come out again, he didn’t say anything.

“Kim Jaejoong.”

“What.”

“You really don’t remember me?”

“....Are you crazy for real? You think I had amnesia?”

“No. I mean, do you really not remember Jung Yunho?”

When he heard Yunho's last words, Jaejoong looked a bit serious. Then, he reached out his hand and put it on Yunho's forehead. “Not a fever...” he mumbled. Yunho got annoyed, saying, “Urgh seriously?” At that, Jaejoong giggled and asked, “Why are you like this~?”

“Meh. If you knew, then you’re a psychic.”

“Hey~ What is it? Tell me~”

Jaejoong, who was whining with both hands on Yunho's shoulders, was as cute as ever. Yunho chuckled again and grabbed Jaejoong's cheeks with both hands. Then, with no hesitation, he leaned their faces together to mesh their lips in a deeper kiss than usual (or at least a peck which lasts longer than usual...). Because of that, as soon as their lips parted, Jaejoong complained, “You―!” as he hit Yunho’s shoulders with his fists. No matter how fluffy his fists are, it must have been quite painful because it was still a man's fists. Yunho hugged his shoulder and complained about the pain, while Jaejoong was busy grinning.

 _“_ _No, but every time we do it, you always stayed still, but as soon as it_ _’_ _s over, you always threw a fit... This brat..._ _”_ It's ridiculous, but it’s not unfunny, so Yunho laughed too. “Why are you laughing!!” After barely avoiding another blow, Yunho stood next to the bookshelf. He got tired after laughing for a long time. He smiled as he stopped laughing, walking back towards Jaejoong and leaned against the counter, just like before.

“Should I tell you?”

“Forget it.”

“Eh, I’ll tell you.”

“I said, forget it~”

“We first met here. Though you probably don’t remember.”

**********

_“Ack, you bastard. You’re going there again? Aren’t you tired of it? It’s been a hundred days and you just go to say “0206 Jung Yunho” without saying anything else.”_

_“Shut up, asshole.”_

_“Ouhh what a coward. When you get closer to him, you two would probably go girls-hunting. You’re so obvious, man.”_

_“The heck.”_

_Not knowing what they’re arguing about, Jaejoong saw the two high school boys with broad backs entering the store, and he greeted them with a smile, “Welcome.” One of the boys mimicked his greeting, “Oh, hello~” and the other boy smacked the boy’s head, getting angry, “Why would you do that, asshole?” He didn’t know what they were doing, so Jaejoong tilted his head, organizing the books that were just returned. His friend sat on a chair next to him, reading a comic book, and kept on bothering him._

_“Dammit, why aren’t you leaving?”_

_“I’ll be dead if I go home. The report card came out today, didn’t you know that?”_

_“That’s why I told you to study....”_

_“I hate hear ing that the most when it came out from from your mouth.”_

_“Tch.”_

_When he returned to the counter after arrang ing the books by their types, his friend had stopped reading and his eyes were sparkling. Jaejoong wondered what his friend was looking at and followed his gaze. It was the two tall boys from earlier. One of them kept glancing in Jaejoong’s direction for some reason, but when his eyes met Jaejoong’s, he turned his gaze stiffly to the bookshelf. His friend tilted his head and looked at Jaejoong, scratching his chin, and began talking._

_“Hey.... That tall guy. They said he’s a trainee.”_

_“Huh? Trainee?”_

_“You know, when they prepare to be a singer. He was popular in our school too. You didn’t know? Tsk... Even when I see him, he looks soooo handsome. I heard he’s from the same year as us... If he hit big later, it’ll be because of me. Because I recognized him. Kyahahahh!”_

“Is he crazy?” _Jaejoong muttered to himself as he hit the crown of his friend_ _’_ _s head with the returned book earlier. Jaejoong clicked his tongue and looked back at the boy his friend was talking about. It was the boy who came here every day since a few days ago to borrowed a comic book. He doesn't know if t was because the boy was shy, but it was funny to see him borrowing and returning books without making eye contact with Jaejoong._

 _In fact, Jaejoong_ _looked forward_ _for this time every day for the man to borrow a comic book._ _He doesn_ _’_ _t have that common look and he looked like someone you_ _’_ _d want to get close to at least once._ So he’s a trainee, huh...

**********

“What are you thinking about?”

“Huh? Ah, that... I think I remembered.”

“About what?”

_“_ _I’m not sure_ _... 0206 Jung Yunho? Trainee Jung Yunho... Yeah, the Jung Yunho from 3 years ago!_ _”_ Jaejoong smiled brightly at the vivid memories.

“I remembered!!! Wow how did this happen?!!!”

Yunho's back felt like it’s gonna get broken because his neck was pulled over the counter by Jaejoong who hugged him, but Jaejoong was smiling brightly. It was such a clear memory that he even remembered the shape of the school uniform that Yunho was wearing at that time. He was so glad to have known the Jung Yunho from the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- "I’m going crazy because of you" is a song from a skit called "Party Time" from the comedy program "People Looking for a Laugh (웃음을 찾는 사람들)"


	25. YJ Project - Chapter 25.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Aaarrghh aren’t you tired of kissing me?”

“Hello~?”

< “Give me food.” >

“.....You really don’t have anything else to say except ask me for food, huh? Asking for food as soon you called...”

Jaejoong answered in an irritated manner. But there's nothing he can do about it. Yunho already told the housekeeper to not care about his meal, so he would starve again if Jaejoong didn't take care of him. After he sees Ahjoong off and she left through the front door, Jaejoong sat back on the table and let out an “Ah!” as if he something had came to his mind.

“Wanna come over?”

< “Huh?” >

“No one’s here today. You come here.”

< “....’Kay then. I’m going in a bit.” >

“’Kay~”

After hanging up the phone, Jaejoong got up from his chair. These days, Jaejoong not only sleep, but basically already lives in Yunho's house. It wasn't like that until a few days ago. Jaejoong had no choice but to cook for Yunho because Yunho thoughtlessly told the housekeeper not to care about his meal. That’s why after his classes ended, he went to Yunho’s house to prepare everything from dinner to tomorrow’s breakfast, and after that he would go home. It might be a bit annoying, but he was able to stay with Yunho longer, so Jaejoong was happy in his own way.

Today, Jaejoong came home before lunch because he only had a lecture in the morning. Ahjoong just left the house to gather at Mian’s house as they were gonna go on a trip to the countryside, and his parents always came home late at night, so Jaejoong decided to bring Yunho to his house. It was the first time Yunho came to Jaejoong's house because they were afraid of getting caught by Ahjoong. Jaejoong hummed a song and came out of the room to clean the house before he started cooking.

After vacuuming and mopping every nook and cranny of the living room and tidying up his own room, Jaejoong wore the apron. While rummaging through the refrigerator to make cold noodles, he heard the doorbell ring. With an excited footstep, Jaejoong headed straight to the front door without even looking at the intercom, and opened the door abruptly. There stood a handsome man, who slightly lowered his head and pecked Jaejoong's cheek.

Jaejoong gave Yunho a playful slap, already used to his behavior, and let him enter the house. Entering with after taking his shoes off, Yunho followed Jaejoong with awkward steps. As he sat next to Jaejoong on the sofa, he could see a living room that was about the same size as his living room.

“How’s the house?”

“Eh, well... It’s the same.”

“What?”

“It’s the same as our house. The one I shared with you.”

“.....”

He couldn’t understand Yunho who sometimes says things out of the blue. Jaejoong shrugged and tapped Yunho's shoulder, and headed for the kitchen. Then from behind, Yunho called Jaejoong.

“You’re making lunch?”

“Yeah. You asked for food.”

“I’m not hungry, tho.”

“....The hell?”

What kind of joke is this? Jaejoong glared at Yunho, who was speaking with a pretty serious look on his face, and said, "Just eat!" He screamed and busied himself in the kitchen. Yunho laughed at the sight and slowly rose from the sofa. Then, with his hands tucked in his pants pocket, he began to wander around the house. Maybe because it was a family house, the ceiling was higher than Yunho's apartment and somehow it felt more detailed. Yunho smiled, thinking, _"Does_ _he_ _like_ _jumping_ _on the bed because the ceiling_ _in his house_ _is high?"_

On top of the TV set opposite the sofa, a large family picture was framed. There were Jaejoong looking pretty and smiling brightly, a middle-aged man and woman standing on his both sides who are probably his parents, and a young woman standing behind Jaejoong's shoulder... “Probably his sister. She looks like Kim Jaejoong,” he muttered. Turning his eyes to Jaejoong's face in the picture, Yunho suddenly frowned and looked at the woman again.

_“_ _I feel like I_ _’_ _ve seen her before... Is it because she looks like Jaejoong?_ _”_ He scratched his head, thinking, before turning his back to the picture.

“Where’s your room?”

“The room just to the right of the bathroom.”

Yunho quickly found the bathroom because there was a light switch right next to the door.

He entered Jaejoong’s room right when he found it. As soon as he opened the door, he smiled again at the distinct scent. The mattress bed that Jaejoong always complained about was neatly covered with sky blue sheets and blankets, and sunlight was coming down from the open window. Sensing that it truly is Jaejoong’s room, he stepped inside farther. An audio player occupied the corner of the desk. When he pressed the open button, Yunho's second album came out. “What a cute kid,” he mumbled, putting the CD back, and slightly sat on the bed. He was sure the mattress is bad, because it won't go in even when he sat down. _“_ _I should buy him a bed_ _,_ _”_ he thought as he got up from his seat and left Jaejoong's room.

Yunho stopped looking around the house and went into the kitchen where Jaejoong was, because he knew it was rude to enter the rooms which are not Jaejoong's room. Then, a familiar figure unfolds. When he came to Yunho's house, Jaejoong was almost all about cooking, so Yunho was too used to seeing him busily moving around with an apron. It's just the place was different this time. Yunho folded his arms, leaned against the wall and looked at Jaejoong's back.

_“_ _How did I even survive without Kim Jaejoong before? Why did I go around insisting that I was fine with being alone? Without meeting those two eyes. Without meeting those lips. Those red lips... How did I even breath?_ _”_ Thinking seriously again, Yunho lowered the smile on his lips.

Unhooking his arms and slowly approaching Jaejoong, Yunho loosely hugged Jaejoong’s waist from behind. His waist is so small that it's endlessly wrapped around by his arms. Jaejoong, who was too fed up to be surprised at this behavior, continued to cut the cucumbers without caring about Yunho. After holding him still for a while, Yunho lowered his face and kissed Jaejoong on the cheek. Feeling ticklish, Jaejoong pushed him back and shook his shoulder, but instead of stepping back, Yunho is now invading his cheekbones.

Jaejoong even threatened him with a knife that he used to cut the cucumbers, but Yunho only chuckled and didn't take his lips off him. “Do whatever you want,” he finally gave up, deciding to not care and continued his work. It was kinda annoying to move back and forth from the sink to the gas stove since Yunho won’t let go of his waist.

“What if my face wears out if you keep doing this?”

“Who cares. I’m the only one who can look.”

“.....Goddammit please....”

_“_ _Where did the cynical U-Know go_ _to...? Where did he g_ _e_ _t these cringyass puke-inducing lines that made me wanna_ _beat_ _him?_ _”_ He really wanted to say that, but he swallowed back the cries. Feeling that it’s not enough to just kiss him on the cheek anymore, Yunho trailed his kisses down Jaejoong’s neck. Jaejoong finally put down the ladle he was holding and turned around.

“Goddammit! Can’t you stay still for a while??”

“Why?”

“Urgh... You got affective deprivation disorder or what? Why are you acting like this?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

_“_ _I should_ _’_ _ve watched what I_ _was_ _gonna_ _say..._ _”_ Unlike his outer appearance which was shaking his head disapprovingly, Jaejoong was actually heartbroken inside. _“_ _Well... No one was with him at those times..._ _”_

“It’s bothersome, so just do it on my lips once and go play by yourself over there.”

Thinking that he just did an act of kindness, Jaejoong slightly closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards. He looked so pretty that Yunho couldn't hide his smile, did as what Jaejoong said, left the kitchen.

* * *

It's been a really long time since Ahjoong’s gang got together. Now that the semester has begun and she got really busy, Ahjoong was irritated at Young’s request to assemble and go to travel. After meeting at Mian’s house, everyone got on Young's car and began to chat noisily. Ahjoong was the only one who had her mouth shut and made sure to show that she didn’t want to go.

“Argh, can’t you at least talk for a bit? Do you have to act so depressed when we’re going on a trip?”

“That’s right, Ahjoong- _ah_ ~ Let’s go have some fun!”

Leaning against the window, Ahjoong nodded her head without answering, while Young and Malsook exchanged uncomfortable glances. In fact, the purpose of this trip was to lift up Ahjoong's mood into a pleasant mode and make her join YunJae-Making again. But with the main character looking so out of energy, the three seemed to be less motivated too. About 5 minutes after the car left Mian’s house... Ahjoong suddenly opened her eyes wide and began to hit the car.

“Stop stop!! _Eonni,_ turn back!!”

“What now...”

“I left the CD player at my house. Let's go back for a bit."

“What are you gonna do with it when we're going to play? I don't want to turn the car around.”

“Then I’m getting off right now.”

“That’s right, Young- _eonni_ ~ Ahjoong’s house isn’t that far away from here. Let’s go there for a while, okay?”

“....Tsk. How troublesome...”

Only barely managing to get Ahjoong out of the house, and having to go back there again, Young feared that Ahjoong wouldn’t come out of the house again. She frowned her forehead and then made a rough U-turn.

* * *

After having lunch, watched the TV, and played games on his computer together, Jaejoong came into his room with Yunho when they had nothing else to do. Jaejoong took out three of his graduation books from elementary, middle and high school and unfolded them in front of Yunho. “I’m the most handsome one, right?” Jaejoong asked, smiling. “What handsome, you’re pretty,” Yunho answered sarcastically, making fun of Jaejoong as the other growled at him in an irritated manner. He even showed Jungwoo’s old picture, saying, “Hey look, this is that crazy bastard Kang Jungwoo.”

Looking at Jaejoong's busy lips, Yunho began to develop symptoms of “affection-deprived syndrome” as what Jaejoong said. When he didn’t hear any response from Yunho, Jaejoong raised his eyes and looked at Yunho’s face, who he noticed was looking at his lips, and then he screamed loudly.

“Aaarrghh aren’t you tired of kissing me?”

“When did we even kiss?”

“D-damn you.... Always saying those kind of things!”

“Well, then, aren't you tired of blushing?”

Yunho smiled and swept his hand over Jaejoong's hair. “Urghhh,” Jaejoong grumbled, taking all of his graduation albums to organize them back in the bookshelf. That action looked very familiar to Yunho. Because he had seen Jaejoong organizing the book at the bookshelves a the rental shop 3 years ago. After putting all the albums in, Jaejoong dusted off his hands, and returned to Yunho’s side, sitting on his bed.

“Aren’t you gonna do your thing like before?”

“Huh?”

“You know, clinging to me, sitting on my lap, hanging on my neck...”

“Urgh! I’m not doing that anymore!”

“No, but why? Shouldn’t you be doing that more?”

“Urghhhh... That was because I didn’t know those were embarrassing, you idiot!!!”

Jaejoong pouted and sat with his back leaning on Yunho's back. Then from behind, he heard another crackling laugh, and his back warmed up.

“’Kay, got it. Don’t do it then. I’ll do it instead.”

“You’re so fucking greasy!”

“What is?”

And just like before, Yunho hugged his waist, making Jaejoong’s ears turn all red. He kissed the heated earlobe briefly, and slowly tried to come down to the neck, but Jaejoong fell back, frightened. “J-just do it on my face!!” he shouted and sat down, looking straight at Yunho.

“Ah... Why are you so adorable...” Yunho swept back Jaejoong’s hair and kissed his forehead briefly. Only then did Jaejoong breathe out evenly as if his anger was relieved. Even his two eyes, which are blinking and closing, are adorable. Yunho hugged Jaejoong's waist tighter. Jaejoong's arms, which had been stretched out awkwardly, slowly wrapped around Yunho's back. They held each other still with their cheeks touching, feeling so comfortable that they could even sleep.

Slowly, Yunho took his cheek off Jaejoong's and removed his arms from Jaejoong’s waist, and loosely wrapped his hands around Jaejoong's neck. His throat was so thin that Yunho could feel his fingers easily overlapping. Bending his head and slightly kissing Jaejoong's chin, Yunho made eye contact with the other.

“Wanna kiss?”

“....We do it all the time.”

“Not that. The real one.”

“.....”

“Aren’t you tired of pretending not to know, Kim Jaejoong?”

Jaejoong blinked, looking defeated as if he doesn’t know what excuse to use. Yunho let out a dejected laugh and pecked him slightly. Then, he closed his eyes for a second and looked into Jaejoong’s eyes again.

“I'm so annoyed I can't stand asking anymore.”

“Huh?”

He pecked him once more. Yunho took his lips off Jaejoong for a bit, putting a more serious look on his face, and placed his lips on Jaejoong’s lower lip. Jaejoong moved his shoulders awkwardly, then Yunho slightly opened his closed lips to take Jaejoong’s lower lip into his. He could feel Jaejoong's thick lips touching his teeth. He moved his hands to cup Jaejoong’s face, as Jaejoong swallowed his saliva. When he slightly opened his closed eyes, he saw Jaejoong looking at him wide-eyed, so Yunho covered the other’s eyes with his hand that was on Jaejoong’s cheek.

After Jaejoong closed his eyes, he slightly licked Jaejoong’s lower lip. Jaejoong's eyes were open again in surprise, but Yunho's hand closed them again. He swept down his hand on Jaejoong's back in a soothing motion, and then Yunho slightly turned his head sideways and kissed him again. He used to always put their lips together in a way that the tip of their noses would bump onto each other, but when he turned his head and kissed him, Jaejoong’s neck cowered away. However, Yunho firmly grasped Jaejoong’s face and opened the other’s mouth with his.

Only then did Jaejoong's eyelashes shook as if he had grasped the situation, and Yunho gently entered Jaejoong's mouth. He slowly moved his tongue around Jaejoong’s, which was stiff out of nervousness. Holding the back of Jaejoong's head with one hand, and embracing Jaejoong's waist with one arm, they share their hot lips with each other.

A thrilling first kiss. Yunho made Jaejoong’s tongue melt, and licked each and every one of Jaejoong’s teeth. Rolling his tongue on the roof of his mouth, and tasting the soft part under Jaejoong’s tongue. After kissing for a long time, Jaejoong began to follow Yunho's lead, adapting to the situation, and the melted tip of his tongue began to move together. Pleased, Yunho rubbed the other’s back a couple more times as Jaejoong came closer and hugged his neck tighter.

It was in human nature to want to put their hands somewhere during such a deep french kiss. Yunho’s hand sneakily measured the other’s form as he tried to get into Jaejoong’s t-shirt.

“Ah!”

Feeling the hand, Jaejoong opened his eyes and pushed Yunho away. When he wiped his shiny lips with the back of his hand, he was embarrassed to feel the wetness. Yunho anxiously clenched and unclenched his hand like he was blaming himself. Jaejoong, who shortly screamed, was also wiping the back of his hand on his pants awkwardly.

“Ah.. um.. so...”

“Y-Yunho- _yah_! I― water. I wanna drink water. Uh... Can you get me some cold water from the kitchen?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. Got it.”

Yunho was equally awkward as he shivered uncharacteristically and left the room after hearing Jaejoong’s words. After Yunho left, Jaejoong fell back on the bed and buried his burning face on the pillow. _“_ _Just now... What did we... This..... Is this what a real kiss is...._ _”_ Feeling dazed for the first time in his life, Jaejoong slapped his cheeks with both hands. _“_ _Ah.... It was so good, tho.... I should_ _’_ _ve held it when his hand went in...._ _”_

On the other hand, Yunho entered the kitchen with a red face while clearing his throat. Yunho, who sometimes thought about actually kissing Jaejoong, was as excited as Jaejoong because it felt sweeter than he originally thought. Unlike Jaejoong, it wasn’t his first time, but it felt like it was the first time. Because it was the first time that he actually wanted to do it.

_“_ _If not because of this stupid hand...._ _”_ After hitting his right hand which almost went into Jaejoong's clothes with his left hand, Yunho picked up a cup and filled it with water from the water purifier. As soon as the water filled up, he drank a sip, and his heated face seemed to cool down a little. After drinking a few more sips, he was about to leave the kitchen when he heard a sound from the front door. He turned his head, frowned, and saw someone who was just taking off their shoes and looking at Yunho.

“Oh....”

“Oh...?”

....... ** ***thunk*****

Yunho froze still. The woman who just opened the front door and made eye contact with him with her mouth open for a few seconds... just fell down. Judging from the face that he saw on the family picture, she was clearly Jaejoong's older sister. Without even thinking of waking her up, Yunho ran into Jaejoong’s room. Then Jaejoong, who was rubbing his face against the pillow, turned his head towards Yunho.

“Did you go out?”

“No.”

“B-but the front door.... S-someone came in?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh God!! Who??”

“Probably your sister.”

“........”

“But I think she passed out.”

Jaejoong opened his eyes as wide as he could, then jumped up, left the room at the speed of light, while Yunho followed him from behind, scratching his head.


	26. YJ Project - Chapter 26.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is this a dream?”

His vision darkened. _“_ _To think that my_ _sister ran into Yunho._ _.._ _”_ Jaejoong ran out of the room, as he gathered his sense. He hurriedly came out to the living room. He saw Ahjoong lying on the floor of the hallway with one shoe on as if she had just entered the house. Letting out a squeak and running to Ahjoong in shock, Jaejoong sat down and laid his sister’s head on his lap and screamed.

“ _Nuna_! _Nuna_!! Wake up!!”

“Did she... really pass out?”

“ _Nunaaaaa_!!!”

Yunho, who wandered out to the living room following Jaejoong, scratched the back of his head and asked, but there was no time for the other to answer. _“_ _Did she really pass out because she was surprised to see Yunho? Just how surprised was she?_ _”_ He bit his lips in a fit of anxiety. Ahjoong wouldn’t open her eyes.

Once he had finished peeling off her other shoe, Jaejoong put his arms between his sister’s arms and began to drag her to move her into her room. Yunho watched the scene dumbfoundedly.

“Move.”

“Huh?”

“Quick.”

As Jaejoong let go Ahjoong, Yunho suddenly lifted her and moved her to the room. After laying her down on the bed, he looked back at Jaejoong. The other looked embarrassed.

“But shouldn’t we call 119 instead of leaving her lay over here?”

“.....Eh?”

“She fainted, right? You never know it might be a heart attack....”

“Aaaaahh don’t say things like that!!!”

Jaejoong looked appalled as he realized the seriousness of the situation thanks to Yunho's words. Scurrying out of Ahjoong's room to get his phone, shouting "119, 119," Jaejoong had to stop at the sound of footsteps coming from somewhere. Jaejoong frowned, focusing on the sound for a moment... and then he opened his eyes wide and shouted Yunho's name.

“Yunho- _yah_! Jung Yunho!! Go to my room quick! Go hide there quick!!”

“Why?”

Asking why, Yunho stuck out his face to the living room where Jaejoong was standing, and then the front door burst open. Jaejoong was shocked and quickly pushed Yunho's face into the room, followed him in and closed the door. With the intention to hide Yunho at a lightning speed, Jaejoong found a place for Yunho to hide in less than a second, and moved into action. Yunho, who was forced in under the desk after Jaejoong took out the chair in a blink of an eye, immediately noticed that a blanket blocked his view. Jaejoong had spread a blanket over the desk and made it so that the lower part of the desk is covered.

At the same time as the blanket covered Yunho, he heard a clicking sound as if the door of the room was about to open. Jaejoong slipped on the floor thanks to his socks, reached the door, and quickly opened the door. Perhaps surprised to see an unexpected person standing in front of them, the gang, including Young, opened their eyes wide and looked surprised.

“Oh, hi Jaejoong!”

“Ah... Hello _Nuna_...”

“Ahjoong said she came back to take the CD player, but she’s not coming down.... Oh God, is that lady sleeping right now?”

“....What?”

_“Oh, my_ _G_ _od! My sister passed out_ _!!_ _”_ Now that he remembered, Jaejoong held Young's arm with a hoot of surprise.

“God! _Nuna_!!! My sister fainted!! As soon as she came in... Anyway we have to bring her to the hospital!”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Come one quick!”

They blinked their eyes and couldn't understand the situation, and Jaejoong urged them to hurry up and put Ahjoong on his back. Only then did they whisper “Looks like she really passed out,” and followed Jaejoong out of the house.

As soon as the house became quiet... Yunho pulled out the blanket that was hanging like a tent and came out. He was hugging his long crouching leg there, so he sweated a little. When he came out, Yunho raised his hand and scratched his cheek as there was nothing but silence in the house. He wondered what happened. After shaking his confused head a few times, he left the room and then his cell phone rang briefly from his pocket.

[Sorry, Yunho. You must’ve been surprised. You should just go home TT I don’t know what happened... I’ll call you later.

From. Jaejoong]

* * *

Ahjoong, who had been taken to the emergency room, was soon taken to the general hospital after undergoing a general examination. She used to suffer from anemia, but her body had worsened because of stress and the fact that she had been skipping meals. And on top of that, when she was already on her limit, she just had to meet Yunho inside of her house, so she lost her consciousness thanks to the shock. Jaejoong, Young, and the others sighed in relief after knowing that it wasn’t anything serious.

Jaejoong couldn’t leave her because she was afraid of what she would say when she woke up. So he sat still on the chair next to the bed, as Young and the others left the hospital room, whispering to each other.

After leaving the hospital room, Young, Malsook, and Mian walked past the hallway towards the lounge. They had a serious look on their faces. When they arrived at the lounge and able to breath calmly, Young sighed deeply and brought out her words.

“Hufft... Well? What now? I didn’t know Ahjoong was suffering so much.”

“Me too... I kept sending her texts everyday. I didn’t know she’d be so stressed over it.”

“Oouhh I felt so freaking bad... Who knew that such a lively kid would fall down like that? What would’ve happened if we brought her to the trip in that condition?”

“So we’re canceling the trip?”

“How could you still think of the trip in this situation.....”

While having the conversation, everyone sighed and looked around. They were trying to bring back Ahjoong to YunJae-Making no matter what, even if it had to be by force. But since Ahjoong lost her energy and even down to her health, they didn’t know what else to do. There was one last resort in Young, Malsook and Mian's head, even though they really hated it. The way to make everyone and even Ahjoong comfortable and free...

Closing down YunJae-Making. Completely erasing it.

“What do you guys think?”

They didn’t actually say it, but at Young's question, Mian and Malsook’s expressions hardened. They noticed that everyone had the same idea. It's the last thing and they really didn't want to do it, but... It was true that they didn't want to see their dear friend suffer anymore. No one actually brought up about the closure of YunJae-Making, but they gradually began to nod. Things like YunJae.... They’re just gonna keep it in their hearts forever.

Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Ahjoong had her eyes open. Jaejoong, who found her staring at him with her eyes wide open, was startled and clasped his shirt in his hand. Ahjoong blinked, looking down at Jaejoong, and quickly rose up. She complained in pain because of the sudden rise of the IV needles stuck in her wrist, but Ahjoong began to twitch her cheek muscles with a solemn expression. With a straight face, she wondered about when she fainted.

“K-Kim Jaejoong?”

“Yeaah... _Nuna_....”

“Wait, wait... Where is this? The hospital?”

“Huh? Yeah...”

Ahjoong looked at Jaejoong, who was somewhat restless, and was lost in thought. She had needles stuck in her forearm because this is the hospital, but she couldn’t remember the reason why she came to the hospital. Most likely because she had collapsed. The reason she collapsed was.... _“_ _Passing out.... Reason.... U.... U-Know... That_ _’_ _s right! U-Know was in my house... Wait a minute. Is this a dream? Definitely a dream. But... It_ _’_ _s so fucking vivid._ _”_

“Jaejoong- _ah_...”

“Yeeaaah....?”

“You know... Does...”

“Hmm....?”

“Ahjooooong- _aaaaah~_!!! Huh?! You’re awake?!!!”

“You’ve came to, huh...”

Jaejoong was waiting for Ahjoong’s specialty, the relentless nonstop questioning, but then he heard the door opening accompanied by a loud voice. Young and the others had come in when they were having a conversation. They frantically called out Ahjoong’s name, worrying, asking about what happened. For some reason, he felt like they were trying hard to look bright.

Jaejoong was pushed aside by them, as they encircled Ahjoong. _“_ _What if she tells all of them?_ _”_ Jaejoong, who was caught between them in anxiety, was listening to what they said. After a long time of tipping toes, they gradually began to create a quiet atmosphere.

“Um.. Jaejoong- _ah_ , can you go out for a bit? There’s something we want to talk about just between us four.”

“What is it? Can’t I just stay here?”

“Uh...”

“ _Eonni_ ~ Just let him be~ He wouldn’t understand anyway.”

_“_ _Hm? What is it about...?_ _”_ Jaejoong frowned slightly at the slightly upsetting conversation, but didn't budge a bit. Then, Young scratched her chin in displeasure, before started talking, “Urgh, whatever.”

“Ahjoong- _ah_. The reason for the trip was actually to change your mind... But since you passed out like that, we talked among ourselves.”

“...What kind of talk?”

“You know, we’ve agreed to do what you wanted to. Closing down YunJae-Making.”

“......”

Jaejoong was just tilting his head because he didn't know what they were talking about. Ahjoong processed Young's words for a while, and frowned. Ahjoong, who had been frowning so much for a few seconds, suddenly opened her eyes wide, banging on her bedsheet with her IV-needle-free hand, making loud noises.

“Fuck!! What are you talking about?? _Eonni_ are you crazy??!!”

“What?”

“No, but... So.... You know... YunJae-Making... Urgh I can’t even say it properly. Young- _eonni_ , guys. Just now, I... U... U... Arghhh you know back at my house, U― mmphh―!!”

He didn't know what the current flow of conversation was, but Jaejoong could guess what would come out of his sister’s mouth now, so he hurriedly covered her mouth with his palm. Young, Mian, and Malsook, who were focusing on Ahjoong’s words, who was suddenly excited, stuttering heavily and trying to talk about something, were surprised by Jaejoong's actions. Jaejoong took off his hand and held onto Ahjoong, who was trying to continue her words, and whispered quickly in her ear.

‘If you tell those _Nuna_ s, I’m not telling you anything. Think about it.’

Hearing Jaejoong's words, Ahjoong stopped struggling and began to blink her eyes. When Jaejoong slowly let go of his hand, Ahjoong stealthily closes her open mouth. As they wondered what she was going to say with such a sudden behavior, they asked why, but she remained tight-lipped. Jaejoong managed to breathe out a sigh and slipped out of the crowd.

Young and the others were frustrated to death, wondering about what Jaejoong had said that made Ahjoong kept her mouth shut. After so much fuss for a long time, everyone got exhausted and thought that Ahjoong must have been shocked over her passing out and talked about going back home. Young and the others kept complaining, “We thought it was something food, but what was that even...” taking their own bags and prepared to go out.

“Looks like you’re still out of it. I’ll call you later. Everyone will visit tomorrow, so rest well and clear your head. We’re leaving.”

Young opened the door and took Mian and Malsook out of the room. She was gonna let Mian and Malsook walk first and follow them from behind, but suddenly, Ahjoong who looked like she wasn’t gonna talk until the end, opened her mouth and loudly said,

“Don’t close down YunJae-Making!! Just don’t, okay?? That’s all you have to know at least _Eonniii_!!”

“What?” Young was gonna enter the room again when Jaejoong greeted her, “See you again, _Nuna,_ ” and so she was forced to leave. He also brightly see the others out, “See you again, _Nuna_ s!!” from afar. Jaejoong, who slammed the door of the room and dusted off his hands, was surprised to see Ahjoong standing down from her bed. _“Come to think of it... Th_ _is creature_ _is_ _th_ _e scariest one_ _...”_ Jaejoong had a defeated look on his face.

Jaejoong sighed heavily, letting out an awkward laugh, and slowly crept towards Ahjoong. He was appalled at this moment thanks to Ahjoong’s peculiar expression. _“_ _Now, what is she gonna say...?_ _“_ Why did you keep that a secret!!! Wanna fight?!! You’re gonna monopolize my U-Know to yourself, huh??!!?! _”_ _Things like those, maybe...? Will she grab my collar and spit out her anger?_ _”_ At the imagination, Jaejoong got frightened and slightly bit his finger into his mouth. Ahjoong’s terrifying mouth began to open....

“Jaejoong- _ah_...”

“Hmmm......”

“Is this a dream?”

“Huh?”

“Hahah... I’m going crazy. Kim Jaejoong! Did you know what I dreamed of? I was gonna go on a trip with Young- _eonni_ and the kids, and while I was going back home to take something I had forgotten, I saw U-Know drinking water, standing in the middle of the living room! Wow I was so surprised I thought I was gonna pass out! What a wonderful dre―....”

“......”

“Why are you making that face? No way... This is not a dream?”

_"Should I kneel down and beg now before I get hit? I'm sorry_ _for keeping it a secret,_ Nuna _. Even though I knew you were a fan, I still kept it a secret... Actually, I was gonna tell you earlier, but somehow we_ _’_ _re going out now so I thought I really shouldn_ _’_ _t say it..._ _”_ If he said that, his name would probably be scratched off from the Kim family register. Jaejoong was even more anxious as his sister looked like she had thrown her right mind away. What would happen if she came back to her sense.....

Jaejoong, who was contemplating about leaving the hospital room, suddenly froze because of Ahjoong’s tears. _“_ _Was it so unfair for her? That her brother met U-Know in secret... Of course it is._ _”_ With Ahjoong’s growing tears, Jaejoong’s fear also grew bigger. Looks like she really has came back to her sense...

“Is this.. real?”

“ _Nunaa_...”

“Really...? You... brought U-Know home? You two... are close?”

“Uh... That... Yeah. We’re close.”

“Ah... I see... I... huk... I didn’t know that... Hm... Since when?”

“It’s been a while... Far before you forced me to meet him at the restaurant. Ah, I really wanted to say it first, but I kept pushing it back... Uh, I’m sorry, _Nuna_. Don’t cry, okay?”

She hadn’t shed tears of joy in a long time. Ahjoong bit her lower lip firmly and restrained her trembling hands. _“_ _I'm going crazy. It really_ _wasn’t_ _a dream. This also isn_ _’_ _t a dream, is it?_ _”_ She was worried, but the tears running through my cheeks were too hot. _“_ _Yunho and Jaejoong are close enough to go to each other_ _’_ _s house? No way... Did he always call Yunho over when I_ _’_ _m not home? Then... Does it mean the goal of YunJae-Making has been accomplished?_ _”_

She couldn't control her overwhelming joy, so she pulled and hugged Jaejoong who was standing awkwardly. Jaejoong let out a sound of surprise, and bent his waist. She was so proud of him. _“_ _That day when he cried, was that because of those little fights between friends? Anyway... There_ _’_ _s no way he_ _’_ _d buy the album if he hates Yunho._ _”_

Jaejoong was taken aback and twisted his lips, because of Ahjoong who was rubbing her tears and snot on his shoulder. Even in this situation, their siblings’ ill feelings towards each other made this kind of hug uncomfortable. Jaejoong forced Ahjoong, who was determined not to let go, off him, and smiled awkwardly. Jaejoong was scared that her two hands would fly to his cheeks, but it didn’t happen so he was glad.

“Out great Jaejoongie... _Nuna_ is more sorry....”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t know that... I thought you were an idiot who couldn’t do anything... Doing useless things... Giving up... But you’ve actually been working hard by your own.”

“Huh? What are you saying?”

_“_ _ Oh my God! Thank you so much! I love you very muchhh!!!!! _ _YunJae-Making is being accomplished by their own!!!_ _”_

Ahjoong was going crazy, shouting silently about Yunho and Jaejoong who were getting mushy with each other without the YunJae-Making members knowing, celebrating by herself. She _really_ knew nothing about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- The underlined words were in actual English.


	27. YJ Project - Chapter 27.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strawberries are red and delicious. So are Jaejoong's lips.

Jaejoong walked his steps in despair. “ _Why did I do that? Why didn’t_ _I_ _think about it a little bit more? What do I do next….?_ ” He constantly sighed. He was already shuddering over Ahjoong’s upcoming interference. If he knew this would happen, he would’ve gone with _“Nuna_ , were you dreaming?” With late regrets, he kicked the innocent ground and stood in front of his house. With two hands in his pockets, chewing on his lips, he saw a car.

“Oh…”

With his eyes wide open, he ran to the car’s window, and then the window rolled down smoothly. As he leaned down and looked inside, Yunho's loose smile greeted him. With his mouth rounded in surprised, Jaejoong opened the car door and climbed into the passenger seat.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

“Just because. I was too dumbfounded.”

“Ah… Right. I’m really really sorry! Uh… I was also surprised earlier.”

“I wasn’t that surprised tho.”

“Ah, I see…”

Jaejoong hastily apologized because he remembered that he had just left Yunho alone in the house, but then he scratched his nose at the indifferent answer. He was about to say goodbye, but Yunho suddenly start driving with his hands holding the steering wheel.

“What? Where are―”

“Let’s go home.”

“Huuhhh???”

Jaejoong made a strange noise because Yunho suddenly started driving. He then hastily fastened his seat belt. “What’s with you so suddenly?” He hit Yunho’s shoulder, but the other only smiled faintly, giving a not-very-helping answer. After complaining for a long time, Jaejoong’s mouth began to move slower as if he was getting tired.

Every time he saw that good-looking face, all thoughts seems to fade away. There had been a serious incident about Ahjoong knowing that the two were close to each other, although it wasn’t about their real relationship. But, as soon as he saw Yunho, all of his worries disappeared like bubbles. Obviously, they had to think seriously about what to do from now on, but right now, they could just play around…

From time to time, he would ask Yunho about what to do now, since his sister, who is a big fan of Yunho, found out about them, so they couldn’t meet in secret anymore. But Yunho would always answer “So what?” Jaejoong really hated that response. Then, he remembered the _real kiss_ he had with Yunho before Ahjoong came home. His face is all red with embarrassment. Yunho chuckled at Jaejoong who played imaginary drums by himself.

“Aaargh I don’t know! To hell if she follows me everywhere I go!”

“Then that’d be fun.”

“How?!”

“She’d found out about our relationship.”

“God!! Don’t say that!! What re-relation…ship… well…”

There it goes again. That flustered stammering after getting embarrassed. Yunho raised his right hand and tapped Jaejoong's cheek. _“Damn. If I’m not driving, I’d do it with my lips.”_

* * *

Ahjoong’s mother visited the hospital room after getting contacted. Jaejoong had left a while ago. She pitifully scolded Ahjoong, “What happened? You should’ve eaten properly!” Ahjoong apologized to her mom, even acted cute for the first time in a long time. Ahjoong nodded her head in time with the dripping of the dextrose dripping from the IV drip.

Her head… felt as blank as a white paper. It also felt like a wildly entangled thread. It also felt like a flower garden full of pink. Ahjoong still wasn’t fully conscious on what had happened so suddenly. She had double-checked dozens of times, and even though she thought about it again in her head, it still felt like a dream. Was that really U-Know that she met earlier? Even though she chanted “That’s right!” several times in her head, she still felt like it was too much of a great case to actually happen.

Her mother sheds tears, probably thinking that Ahjoong looked very sick while hugging a hospital pillow. Around that time, the telephone installed in the hospital room rang loudly. She was the only one to answer the phone because she was in a double room with no one else thanks to the sudden hospitalization. Watching her mother answer the phone instead, Ahjoong tried to swim back to recall the past, but she couldn't.

“Ahjoong- _ah._ It’s Young.”

“Youngie- _eonni_?”

“Here.”

“YASS!!” She took the phone with a beaming smile. She was excited and was planning to tell the whole story.

< “Hello? Ahjoong? Hey, I thought you won’t have your phone since we brought you there in such a hurry. So I called here instead.” >

“Okay okay. You did well, _eonni_.”

< “Hey!! What are you gonna do, huh? What was that? Why did you suddenly change your mind? What did Jaejoong say?” >

“Ah!!! That―…”

_“Ah… That’s right… If I tell anyone… It’s the end….”_ She remembered the promise she made before Jaejoong left. She was too excited that she almost told Young everything. _“Keep it to yourself. People will find out someday, but if you say anything to your friends, I’m not gonna let you see U-Know, and I will never tell you anything.”_ That was how he threatened her.

< “What? Why did you stop talking? What happened?” >

“Ah… That… Ah!! _Eonni_! I dreamed when I fainted… YunJae appeared and they told me not to give up on them ever! They asked me to make them get close to each other even only as friends! Hehheheheheh.”

< “…You’re still out of it? Why are you giggling so creepily? What was so funny? Your reason doesn’t make sense, but we’re glad if that’s what you were thinking. You won’t change your mind anymore, right? You have to come back as one of YunJae-Making’s admins now!” >

“Of course!”

She could hear babbling on the other side of the phone, saying “She’s so weird. Maybe she’s gone crazy.” Those must be Mian and Malsook. Ahjoong felt pity for the others who knew nothing, but it was also funny, so she laughed again. She could hear Mian saying “Let’s just hang up before her condition got worse,”and then Young hung up the call.

Now that the call had hung up, she felt frustrated. She couldn’t tell them such an exciting thing. She felt the need to dig up the ground and scream her lungs out. In fear that she’d get internal disease out of the frustration, she hit her chest with her fist. At her daughter who laughed, sighed and danced like crazy, Ahjoong’s mom felt pity. She shook her head and went out, probably to find a doctor.

After acting like crazy person for a while, Ahjoong got off the bed, thinking that she shouldn't be like this. While opening the door carefully and looking around, she grabbed a passing nurse and asked,

“Excuse me. Where can I access the internet here?”

“You may go to the lounge in the 1st floor.”

“Thank you!”

She skipped her way there, bringing the IV drip connected to her arm, and entered the room where the computers lined up. How long was it again when she last smelled a computer? As soon as she turned on the power, Ahjoong surfed the internet and started clicking with crazy speed. She firstly re-entered the YunJae-Making cafe, and was gonna look for her cell phone to call Young again. But then, a message window appeared on the monitor.

Soon, Ahjoong was set as the admin again. She felt bad for the noticeably low cafe activity. The number of members are over 9800 people… She felt the seriousness of the situation, but Ahjoong kept smiling. She knew this will get better soon. YunJae already met each other, going back and forth between their homes, had fun playing together… They were doing a great job. She was in such a good mood that her teeth are grinding so hard that she even got stares from the patients who were sitting around her.

However, all she could feel from the stares are envy. She sees the people around her as YunJae shippers. After calming down her laughter and taking a few deep breaths, Ahjoong began posting to reassure the remaining members.

[Hello YunJae-ers, I’m YunJae’s _Nuna_. Firstly, I’m very happy to be able to meet you guys after a long time. I’m also very sorry. I promise I won’t suddenly disappear without saying anything again. I will tell you later the reason why I disappeared, and why I reappeared again. Firstly, I need everyone to know something, so I’m writing this. YunJae shippers! Our YJ Project is going very well, and we're seeing satisfying results. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in detail because it’s something I still couldn’t say for sure. However, what’s definitely clear, is that we just have to wait a little bit more!! Just a little bit more. Really really really little bit more!! Do you get it? We will get good news soon, so please wait... As for the details, not even the other admins know about this, so you can’t ask Mom, Lover, and Lil Sis. Just please wait for a bit more. P.S. The three of you also have to wait. Don’t ask me about this LOL]

* * *

“You’re not going to part-time today?”

“Yep. Anyway, why are you so free? Aren’t you U-Know?”

“Who’s free again?”

“Hm? You practically meet me everyday like an unemployed person.”

Jaejoong said sarcastically, taking off his shoes and entering Yunho’s apartment. In Jaejoong’s eyes, Yunho looked like nothing but a jobless man who had nothing to do. When he wasn't with him, he couldn't see any sign of Yunho being busy. He only saw Yunho when they meet up. Yunho only answered him with a small smile.

When Jaejoong came into the kitchen, he took out some fruits and snacks he had bought from the mart earlier. He clicked his tongue at Yunho who washed up as soon as they arrived and is now lying on the sofa. He shook his head and put the things in the refrigerator, and put the strawberries that he wanted to eat right away in a bowl and washed them clean. When he brought the pretty and appetizing strawberry over to Yunho, the lying man was now sitting up.

“Cut off the laying down habit. You’re gonna gain weight.”

“Don’t worry.”

“How could I not? You're basically doing all the standard procedure of being lazy.”

“I work out three hours a day.”

“.....What? Really?”

“I didn’t tell you, huh?”

"Of course I didn’t know!!!!”

His big eyes widened even more, and Yunho chuckled because he found that funny. “Where the hell did you even find the time to? Then, you have those nice sixpacks on your stomach too? Ah, now that I think about it, your arms are so firm!!” Jaejoong babbled like a school girl, asking this and that endlessly, and Yunho chuckled again as he find that cute.

“You can’t get sassy anymore, huh...” Yunho flicked Jaejoong’s forehead lightly and took a strawberry to his mouth. It looks red and delicious, but it doesn’t taste good. When he threw the top on the table, Jaejoong told him to put it in a bowl.

“But we really can’t keep it like this... What do we do now?”

“What?”

“I’m talking about my sis!”

“What’s with your sis?”

“Urgh! All right then. I’m not talking..”

_“It’s my fault for asking for safety reason.”_ Jaejoong scowled angrily at Yunho for giving apathetic response without knowing the seriousness of Ahjoong knowing about them. _“There’s no way she would call her friends and tell them everything as soon as I left her, right...? I should call mom later,”_ Jaejoong thought as he picked up a strawberry and ate half of it.

“Uhm, it’s delicious!” His eyes curled up, his troubled face melting into a face of happiness. He then turned his attention to Yunho, who only ate one strawberry.

“Not eating the strawberries?”

“It tastes bad.”

“Whaaat?!”

_“What is this guy saying??”_ Jaejoong pushed the remaining part of the strawberry into Yunho's mouth. Yunho took it in without hesitation. It was only then that Jaejoong realized what he had done when Yunho showed a satisfied look with half the strawberries he had put in his mouth. His face heated up again, like it had became his specialty and hobby. _“I fed him... I fed him... I fed him... And this guy is eating it so casually?!!”_

Looks like the one he ate earlier was the bad one. “It’s delicious,” Yunho mumbled. Jaejoong resentfully glared at him again. Yunho ate several strawberries again, because the one Jaejoong gave him was really delicious. He dropped both of his legs off the sofa and slid down to sit next to Jaejoong. “Wha― Why are you coming down?!” Jaejoong scowled. Then, Yunho stared at the red lips which was redder than the strawberries.

Yunho was reminded of the first kiss they shared at Jaejoong's house before, and he fell in thought. Should he eat those cute lips or should he not? He didn’t know when did began to see Jaejoong who was his friend so prettily. When he came to his sense, this man already became his adorable lover. Although, it could’ve been that way since the beginning too.

“W-what...” Jaejoong sensed danger when he realized Yunho was staring at his lips. He tried to move back but it was useless. It was because Yunho had wrapped his arms around Jaejoong’s waist. _“Do you want to set the mood that much...”_ Jaejoong was annoyed but he still closed his eyes anyway.

Jaejoong put the strawberry he was holding back into the bowl, and put his hands on Yunho’s wide back. Slowly, their lips touched each other, and this time, they naturally parted them between each others’. With the strawberry scent still fresh on their mouth, it was so sweet that the corners of their mouths go up naturally. As the kiss grew stronger, their bodies clung to each other and began to tilt backwards. To prevent Jaejoong from hitting the floor, Yunho hugged his waist with one hand and propped the floor with the other. Even Jaejoong’s hands which warmly embraces his back, are lovable.

Having maintained such posture for so long, Yunho's hand, which was pushing the ground, had began to lose strength. Eventually, Yunho fell on top of Jaejoong. Thanks to that, Yunho and Jaejoong's lips fell off. “We kissed really hard,” he said, and as if it wasn’t obvious enough, the silver thread stretching out between their lips helped the explanation. Jaejoong was surprised for a moment by the sudden strange posture, but that was all. He pulled Yunho's neck down and kissed him again.

It was a much more comfortable position to lie down on top of Jaejoong who laid down on his back. Yunho felt happiness as Jaejoong arms wrapped around his neck. He could feel the other even deeper. What was it that the other was swallowing that he could hear him gulping? What was it that made the other so nervous that he could hear his heart beating loudly? With the idea that this good atmosphere shouldn’t be broken by his wandering hands as he did before, Yunho clasped his hands to the floor and only used his lips on Jaejoong.

No matter how long they pressed up together, they didn't get tired of it. They felt like they could live their whole life just kissing each other. Yunho and Jaejoong were that happy, and that sweet to each other. To the point that they forgot about an obstacle(?) named Ahjoong.


	28. YJ Project - Chapter 28.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Couldn't you have done this before I knew about YunJae?” 

After being discharged from the hospital, Ahjoong gained 3 kilograms because she was given so much nutrition under the pressure of her mother. But Ahjoong was satisfied because her body, which was too thin, had returned to normal and the symptoms of anemia such as dizziness had disappeared for some reason.

Her attitude toward Jaejoong was not that different from when she did YunJae-Making before this. The _slight_ difference was that every time Jaejoong left the house, or when he received a phone call, or when he was texting... At those times, she would feel so happy that she’d bite her own fist.

Jaejoong already left the house to go on an MT. Ahjoong was wearing her shoes, about to go for a lesson. Before opening the front door, she took a glance at the full-length mirror on the shoe rack, and opened the door with a satisfied smile. The sound of each heel hitting the marble floor is light. Ahjoong, who came down the stairs with a big smile on her lips, was passing through the parking lot. At that time, she heard a loud klaxon.

She didn’t think that it was for her, so she continued walking. Ahjoong tilted her head slightly to the sound of klaxon. Then she noticed that the source of the sound was the car that she had seen several times in front of her house. With her eyes wide open, _"That_ _’_ _s right! Who the hell is the owner of the car?!"_ she thought of the thing that she had wondered for long before immediately turning back to the parking lot.

The window tint was pretty thick. As she arrived in front of the window which she couldn’t see through at all, she bent her waist a bit before tapping on the glass. Somehow this felt familiar to her. But it wasn’t as unresponsive as last time. As soon as she knocked, the window smoothly slid down.

“......”

“Hello. We meet again.”

“....Ah.....”

*****thump***** Her heart felt like it fell down to her feet. She was so nervous that she couldn’t even hear her heart thumping loudly. The person who just greeted her was.... _that_ U-Know. Seeing that she froze with nothing to say, Yunho reached out and opened the passenger's door. “Can you get in for a bit?” he asked. It felt like a million flies are buzzing in her head. Or hundreds of lights flashing in front of her eyes.... Without any understanding of the situation, Ahjoong got into the passenger seat opened by Yunho.

She had seen him numerous times in the broadcast station, and she also had met him officially a few times as she was the fanclub board member... But it was the first time that she could see Yunho so closely. She had met him dozens of times at fan meetings and fansigning sessions, but thanks to Jaejoong, she got to hear the line “We meet again.” She really wasn’t thinking of anything, so her eyes were blinking and her lips were repeatedly opening and closing.

The scene overlapped with Jaejoong’s behavior when they first met, and Yunho burst into a laughter. Ahjoong, who didn’t know what just happened, had been staring into space for a while, and then began to talk frantically.

“Uh, um, so, yes. Hello. Last time, well, I was too surprised... Ah, you’re close to Jaejoong, right? Do you know if I’m a KNOW YOU board member...? Um... so...”

_“_ _Kim Ahjoong you dumbfuck!!! What are you even saying right now?!!!_ _”_ At her own words, which were completely incoherent and not thorough, Ahjoong cut off in the middle and shook her head wildly. Whether he was laughing because it was funny or because he was mocking her, he still continued to do so. Messing with her long straight hair, Ahjoong raised her head again.

“J-Jaejoong is not home! He went on an MT...”

“Yes. I know.”

“Ah, so you knew... Huh? Then why are you...”

“I came to meet you, _Nuna_. Ah, it’s okay if I call you _Nuna_ , right? Jaejoong kept going _Nuna Nuna_ , and somehow I got used to it...”

“Yes. Of course! It’s okay!”

_“_ _He said Nuna... Nuna.... U-Know looked at me and called me Nuna..._ _”_ The feeling of being moved again made Ahjoong forget the feeling of embarrassment and felt coldness on her nose. She could be noticed thanks to her younger brother. She’d be happy for them to just get close to each other, and now she got to meet him in person, and he even called her “ _Nuna_ _._ _”_ _"What would happen if Young-_ eonni _found out abou_ ― _.... No!!!_ _”_

“Huh??? Who are you meeting again?”

“You, _Nuna_. Kim Ahjoong- _ssi_.”

“........M-me???”

He nodded. Even his indifferent face while nodding is breathtakingly handsome. “ _What an amazing face.... I_ _’_ _m a fan of this kind of guy._ _”_ She wondered if her ever-expanding fan sentiment will ever die down. Thinking that she’d fall into the 3000th hole if she wasn’t careful, she opened her eyes wider and asked,

“Why would you...?”

“Just because. I thought it would be good if we get closer.”

“Ehh????”

_“_ _W-what? G-get closer? To whom?? Me???_ _”_ Yunho frowned as if he was slightly offended when she looked at him with shock on her face. Although she quickly let go of her expression, Ahjoong was busy rearranging her confused mind. The Jung Yunho she knew is definitely not this kind of guy...” He wasn’t sociable at all, and his outspoken behavior was a scene that did not exist even in fan fiction. She couldn't believe it. _“_ _He said he wanted to get close to me?_ _”_

“Now is the only free time I have, so if you were going somewhere, I'd like you to cancel if it’s possible.”

_“_ _Thank God._ _”_ She could erase the chance that this person here was not Yunho. It was because he said things without beating around the bush. What kind of polite person could come and grab someone who's going somewhere and told them to cancel their appointment and ask them to stay with you? Still, such a rude figure was also full of charm. Ahjoong's nose felt like bleeding.

“I wasn’t going anywhere! I was just taking a stroll, so you don’t have to mind!”

Ahjoong immediately reassured Yunho. _“_ _What kind of crazy bitch would reject U-Know when he pulled you into his car and asked you to make time for him? Now that_ _I_ _think_ _about_ _it, this car is U-Know_ _’_ _s.... Then, that means... I've been beating my ass all this time to find out who owns the car.... It wasn't for nothing at all! What would_ _’_ _ve happened if I somehow found out the owner of the car before I passed out that day after meeting U-Know? Well, I probably would_ _’_ _ve pass out out of shock too, so..._ _”_

_“By the way, what the hell is this guy doing_ _with_ _me?_ _And w_ _ithout Jaejoong_ _?_ _”_ It was incredible to see him sitting right next to her and starting the engine. Are there any other lucky woman who could appreciate Yunho driving right in front of their noses? Given by U-Know’s personality and daily life, she probably would be the first and last woman to witness that. At the thought, the corners of her lips raised so high that it even tires her. _“_ _Anyway, my pretty brother Jaejoong had been on this position for who knows how long already._ _”_

Ahjoong quickly sent a text message informing the student she was about to teach, so that Yunho wouldn't see it. Then she hid her cellphone deep in her bag. At the same time, the car started, Ahjoong grabbed the seat belt and asked Yunho.

“Where are we going? I mean, Jaejoong isn’t even here. Why would you...”

“I was going to meet you without Jaejoong knowing on purpose. Please don’t tell Jaejoong about this.”

“Eh??”

“Have you had lunch? If not, then shall we eat together? Where should we go?”

Ahjoong subtly moved her lips at the ambiguous honorifics that would soon lead to informal speech. His cynically considerate way of speaking is hella lovable. This wasn’t the voice of U-Know that she knew of. Ahjoong, who was in a frenzy by herself, distracted by the sound of drums and janggu being played by baby angels in her head. Then suddenly, a thread snapped in her mind.

“No! We shouldn’t go together! If you have something to say, then we can go to my house.”

“Huh?”

“People will look if we go to a restaurant. Then they would misunderstand! So we definitely can’t go there!”

“....You said you’re a KNOW YOU.”

“Eh?.... Ah, that’s right. That’s exactly why! We can’t because I’m a KNOW YOU.”

_“_ _What a weird woman._ _”_ Of course, Yunho's intention to get close to Ahjoong was purely because of Jaejoong, but he thought she would be very happy if he asked her to go out with him because she said she’s a KNOW YOU. Yunho was forced to turn his car around because of Ahjoong’s determined attitude. _“_ _Is she lying about being a KNOW YOU....? Actually she hates me to my guts,_ _right_ _?_ _”_ Yunho became a little nervous because of Ahjoong, who hasn't talked much and had a complicated look on her face since a while ago.

_“_ _Ah, I should make it clear. I should get close to her. Then she_ _’_ _d be on my side and I can take Jaejoong to live with me...._ _”_ That’s it. Yunho's ultimate goal was this. Borrowing Ahjoong’s blood relation power so he could live with his lover whom he never wanna be separated from. Anyway, Yunho didn't need such a useless scandal, so he listened to her and returned to her home.

When he stopped the car and entered the house after her, the incident from the other time came to his mind, and Yunho's mouth was slightly bent. He was really dumbfounded. Ahjoong probably also remembered the same incident as she looked embarrassed when she looked at Yunho. Yunho sat on the sofa after Ahjoong ushered him to, and drank the juice she brought for him. As if the awkwardness and discomfort had gone by a little, Ahjoong’s face brightened up. Yunho drank the juice and glanced sideways at Ahjoong's side profile. Her face, which resembles Jaejoong quite a bit, makes him feel good.

“Thank you for being a KNOW YOU.”

“Yes? Ah, no! It was nature’s providence that I became a KNOW YOU.”

“Haha...”

She resembles her brother even to their weird aspects. Or he resembled his sister. He put down the empty cup and thought of a way to make her side with him. It was natural for her to side with him since she’s a fan, but if she found out that her younger brother is in that kind relationship with him... As expected, that fact should be hidden until the end. His head began to spin in thought.

_“_ _What should I do?_ _”_ he repeated in his head, Jaejoong’s face and his sister’s came into his thought. Then, he scowled at one point. It was because he remembered seeing Ahjoong, who was sitting next to him right now, even before he knew she was Jaejoong's sister. And not long after, the detailed memories spread out in his head. No way. Yunho clapped his palms together, praising his brilliant mind for remembering, and turned to Ahjoong.

“That time at the club... Right?”

“....Y-you remembered?”

“Hahah. What a marvelous fate. Not necessarily, a fate, but thank you so much for that day.”

“You’re thanking me? I did it on my own will. I’m more grateful that you even remember me.”

Now the stuttering symptoms were slowly fading away, and she was adapting to U-Know sitting next to her. _“_ _Oh, my God, is there any other lucky girl like me?_ _”_ As she laughed by herself, Ahjoong froze at the sudden hunch she was having. _“_ _No, but why would he want to meet me separately?_ _”_ It was an embarrassing thought but that was the only answer she could think of. _“_ _Does this guy like me? Naahh, are you crazy, Kim Ahjoong?!_ _”_ She couldn't help but be suspicious of the fact that he remembered what happened at the club. _“_ _No way... Did he fall for me at that time....? That_ _’_ _s why, he approached Jaejoong so he could meet me...? Aaaahh no no no there_ _’_ _s no way!_ _”_

While writing a fanfiction alone in her head, her face was distorted to the point that it wasn’t a good sight to see. Surprised at the sight, Yunho stepped back a little bit. Ahjoong was now one step further and ruffled her hair with her long fingers. _“_ _Why is she suddenly like this...?_ _”_ In a very difficult situation, Yunho stayed still and put his legs together. After a while, as Ahjoong seemed to have come to her senses, Yunho vainly coughed. Only then did she realize that she was giving U-Know a live show. Her face was flushed with embarrassment.

“Erm... Are you okay?” Ahjoong bowed her head and mumbled as a response. As expected of siblings. They’re similar from A-Z. Yunho scratched his chin and was briefly lost in wild thoughts. _“What do you call your wife's sister..._ _laws?_ _No,_ _sister-in-law_ _? Yeah, yeah. They call it_ _sister-in-law_ _._ _So this person is my sister-in-law._ _”_ Some people might feel a little embarrassed thinking like this, but Yunho is not at all like that. _“_ _So I'm the brother-in-law to my sister-in-law?_ _”_ He snorted to himself and smiled contentedly.

When Ahjoong seemed to have calmed down a little, Yunho held out his cell phone. He was asking for her phone number. Perhaps she didn't realize his intention, Ahjoong blinked her eyes, looking back and forth from the cell phone to Yunho's face. “I’m asking for your number.” He directly spoke. Ahjoong understood and let out an understanding sound of “Ah...” before suddenly asking back, “What?!?!?!?!” Yunho thought, _“_ _No, but was it so hard to give me your number?_ _”_ No matter how much he thought, he doubted that this woman was an actual KNOW YOU...

“Please do it quick,” he urged, and Ahjoong pressed her numbers, slightly trembling. She kept glancing around. Not even at Yunho, but at who-knows-what. When he turned his head to the place where Ahjoong's eyes are constantly on, he found a family photo. _“_ _Is she_ _looking at_ _Jaejoong? Or her parents?_ _”_

When Ahjoong's number was perfectly saved, Yunho nodded and put his cell phone in his pocket. They should keep in touch from now on and get closer. He doesn't like getting acquainted with someone, but he felt good as it was for Jaejoong and himself. _“_ _I_ _’_ _m going to chat up my sister-in-law and get Jaejoong out of_ _t_ _his house as soon as possible._ _He_ _'ll live with me._ _”_ His expression was indifferent, but inside, he was filled with ambition.

On the other hand, Ahjoong was shedding blood in her heart, even though she couldn't express it outwardly. _“_ _What do I_ _do?_ _What do I do?_ _This is absolutely certain._ _He asked for my number... You really like me, huh? I_ _’_ _m four years older, though? Your owner is not me, but my brother Kim Jaejoong. We can_ _’_ _t do this, Yunho-_ yah _. Argh.... I_ _’_ _m dying... We can_ _’_ _t_ _be_ _together_ _. Got it?_ _”_

* * *

For several days after Jaejoong returned from the MT, Ahjoong was unable to look him in the face properly. When Ahjoong, who had been friendly to him for a while, avoided him intentionally, Jaejoong tried to ask why, but she wouldn't even try to talk to him. The reason was... because of the guilt surrounding her whole body. The reason was because she was loved by her younger brother's man, Jung Yunho. Of course, the leading role, scriptwriter, director, was all Kim Ahjoong in her own movie.

Since she was a fan of Yunho since he was a trainee, she was now approaching her fourth year as a U-Know fan. Before she fell in love with YunJae, she was dreaming about dating Jung Yunho. Her hobby was imagining U-Know singing “Because _Nuna_ is my woman~ Because you’re my woman~” But now her body is all in for YunJae. _“_ _Couldn't you have done this before I knew about YunJae?_ _”_ Even if she kept asking Yunho, who obviously couldn't even hear her, she couldn't hear his answer.

Even now, she was ignoring Jaejoong, who was making noises outside the door. Ahjoong was slamming the back of her head against the wall. She felt sorry for the YunJae-Making cafe which had became busier after her comeback. The woman who held big responsibility to make YunJae, is in danger of stealing her brother's man. Frankly speaking, there was no way her heart couldn’t be shaken. She didn't have to worry much about because she was more inclined to YunJae than to her fan sentiment, but what if Yunho is more active? In the worst case scenario, something ridiculous like her and Yunho getting together may happen that Yunho and herself would be congratulated Jaejoong. She had to stop it as soon as possible. She had to make Yunho give up his feelings toward her and make him focus only on meeting Jaejoong.

Even after meeting Yunho, she received text messages every few days. Sometimes when asked if she had eaten, she was scared that he would buy food for her, so even if she hasn’t, she would say she had. When she get a “sleep well” message, she would complain about there’s no way she would be able to sleep well, making a face like she’s about cry. _“_ _Or are you saying that the cynical Jung Yunho that you showed to your fans on TV was all a lie? Were you always such an assertive man? Are you saying the side of you which looked uninterested in women, which definitely looked realistic, were all set up?! Huhuuu... How nice would it be if Jaejoong was a woman... Ah, no that_ _’_ _s not it. Then there would never be YunJae-Making._ _”_

She thought of all kind of things, latching herself on the wall, and then she heard a text message coming from the cell phone on her desk. She approached her cell phone, nervously biting her lips, and, of course, the sender's name on the screen, [That person]. It was a U-Know. He was texting her because he was bored and he just passed her house. _“_ _Just say you miss me, you brat._ _”_

_“_ _Yunho-_ yah _, we shouldn_ _’_ _t do this, got it?_ _”_

"Okay, Yunho- _yah_ ♡"

Jaejoong answered the phone with a million hearts. Because of Yunho's schedule today, they couldn't meet in the evening, nor could he go to his house. So it's been 24 hours since they saw each other. After kissing once, it became so creepily natural for Jaejoong to do those things that even he find it weird. Kissing really gave that much of a big impact to the point that they don’t do simple pecks anymore. Once he got into it.... Uhm..... Jaejoong covered his cheeks with his hands when he remembered the kiss he shared with Yunho. He was on the phone talking to Yunho, and suddenly he could hear Yunho scolding him, “What was so funny, huh?”

The Jaejoong who kept arguing about what was so different between pecks and kisses had now disappeared, replaced with the Jaejoong who ignore giving pecks so they could kiss instead. Now, short pecks felt disappointing to him. “It’s been 24 hours since we saw each other, so we haven’t kissed in 24 hours.” Yunho laughed at Jaejoong who said those words while acting cutely.

< “Aren’t you becoming a pervert, huh, _ahjumma_?” >

“I told you not to call me _ahjumma_!”

< “Then should I call you _ahjussi_?” >

“....But that sounds weird.”

< “Pftt hahahahaha―” >

Jaejoong smiled at his laughing sound. It has became a routine for Yunho to tell Jaejoong where he’s going, at what time, who he’s meeting, and tell him everything that happened the whole day. Jaejoong felt proud of it. _“_ _It felt like we_ _’_ _re really in a special relationship,_ _”_ he realized.

< “Come out.” >

“Huh?”

< “To the front door...” >

“Front door? Of the house?”

< “Yeah.” >

_“_ _What is it.... Don_ _’_ _t tell me it_ _’_ _s that romantic thing he did last time, calling me out of the house...._ _”_ At the same time, Jaejoong, quietly having an expectation, walked out of the room. _“_ _Why do I think Yunho_ _’_ _s car would be parked in front of the house~ Hihih,_ _”_ giggling, he moved towards the front door.

Passing through Ahjoong's room and just reaching the shoe rack, suddenly the front door burst open, and something showed up. _“_ _Uwaaaahh!!! What the hell?!!_ _”_ As soon as the door opens, he felt someone’s soft lips on his own. Judging from the feeling, it must be Yunho's lips. Covering Jaejoong's cheeks with his big hands, Yunho kissed him deeply. _“Oh, this is more_ _romantic_ _than I ever imagined. I can't believe you_ _would_ _suddenly open the door and attack me.”_

Drunk on Yunho’s scent, Jaejoong’s hands, which were dangling on his sides, moved to Yunho’s back. Suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from behind him. “Mom!!!” He felt bad for pushing Yunho out of surprise. Yunho who was standing in front of him had disappeared. He probably closed the door after getting out of the house. _“_ _Or am I dreaming?_ _”_ he thought. It happened in a flash, so he was still out of his mind.

“Did someone come?”

When his mother came out of the main room and asked Jaejoong, Ahjoong came out of the room, looking exhausted, and holding her cell phone in her hand. Jaejoong had a blank expression and shook his head. He opened the front door and peeked his face out. Yunho then went down the stairs and waved to Jaejoong with a bright expression. Stretching only his thumb and pinky to his ear, gesturing him to call back, he got into his car.

_“_ _Yunho-_ yah. _You can_ _’_ _t be any cooler than now. Okay?_ _”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- Janggu (장구) or Janggo (장고), sometimes called seyogo, is a slim waist drum which is aKorean traditional music instrument.  
> \- Membership Training (MT) is an event held among university students in South Korea. It's basically a retreat where a group of people from an organization go away together for a day or more and carry out a variety of group-bonding activities and training activities.  
> \- "Because Nuna is my girl~ Because you’re my girl~" is the lyrics to "Because You're My Woman" by Lee Seunggi.


	29. YJ Project - Chapter 29.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think U-Know likes me. It’s almost 100% confirmed.”

“Did you watch the radio yesterday?”

“Of course! U-Know changed his horn-rimmed glasses…. So precious….”

“Dammit! I was outside at that time so I couldn’t watch it, but I saw the screenshots…. As expected of Jung Yunho.”

Young’s gang gathered at Young's house to chat about U-Know’s last public appearance for his current album activity. The current topic was the radio program where Yunho appeared as a guest last night. Most of Yunho’s guesting were on visual radios, so it was nothing special, but because it was the last radio appearance and he wore a cool glasses, they had a lot to talk about.

But there was someone who didn’t utter a single word in the middle of that loud chattering. It was Ahjoong. Sitting by the window, her chin propped by her hand, sighing every few seconds. They didn't pay much attention when they were talking for a long time, but as they gradually had less to talk about, their eyes turned to Ahjoong. Why is she in her depressed mode again?

“Ahjoong- _ah_ , you didn’t see the radio yesterday?”

“.….”

“Oi.”

“.……”

“Hey, Kim Ahjoong!!”

“Huuuuhhhh???”

After being called several times and came to her sense, Ahjoong turned her head to Young and made a face like she had just woken up from her dream. She looked at Young with half-lidded eyes and asked, “What?”, making Young speechless that she could only laugh in disbelief. Malsook and Mian tilted their head, thinking _“Why is she like that again…?”_

They forced Ahjoong who wasn’t willing to come to the broadcast today to come here. She thought it wouldn’t have been pleasant to go to meet U-Know, as he was the cause of her confused mind. There was no way that she would run into Yunho at the broadcast, but you never know. He might be determined enough to bring her to the waiting room.

_“I think U-Know likes me. It’s almost 100% confirmed.”_ She couldn’t say this to anyone. Even if she did, no one would believe her. It’s obvious that they will swear at her and she would be kicked out of YunJae-Making. Forget about Yunho’s feelings, should she just not be afraid of Jaejoong and tell the rest that YunJae are friends with each other? That flash of thought disappeared as soon as it appeared. She would definitely feel bad for Jaejoong. She will become a really bad sister if she violates his privacy. _“Argh seriously Jung Yunho that jerk why does he have to like me?!!”_

Ahjoong screamed while messing with her hair, something that she had become accustomed to. Ahjoong seemed even weirder than before, that Young and the others kinda regretted forcing her to come there. “Let's just leave her alone for now,” Young said as they turned their attention away from Ahjoong and focused on chatting again.

“Oh, but these days they said U-Know’s phone number was all over the internet. We need to fix that. The younger kids would believe those.”

“Eh, leave it~ They’ll realize it if they tried to call.”

“No, but what if some girl picked up the phone and claimed to be U-Know’s girlfriend~”

“Oh! That’s awesome. I should try doing that~”

”Crazy bitch.”

It caught Ahjoong's ears when she was in a daze, that the others were talking about the false leak of U-Know's phone number. _“U-Know’s number… I have it in my phone now. Uwaah, my heart is trembling.”_ She wanted to say it so bad that her fingertips trembled. _“Don’t be like this, Ahjoong-_ ah _."_ She was brainwashing herself hard, grasping the cell phone in her pocket, and then something came to her mind. About U-Know’s phone number… and that visible radio.

_“Ah!”_ Ahjoong widened her eyes and snapped her head up. Young, Mian, and Malsook didn't pay any attention to her because they sat behind her. Ahjoong was covering her mouth with her hands, thinking about every single thing that happened in the past.

That fansigning day. To be exact, the night where she thought that the fansign strategy had failed, when in fact, it had succeeded. Ahjoong was watching the radio where U-Know appeared, and Jaejoong was calling someone behind her. She was so surprised that Jaejoong's phone situation and Yunho's cell phone situation in the radio were too perfectly timed to be a coincidence. Just in case, she stole Jaejoong's cell phone and checked that number. And as she thought, it was only a miraculous coincidence. The one who answered the phone introduced himself as Kim Youngwoon…

_“Wait. The day of the successful fansign. The perfect timing of their phone call.The voice of Kim Youngwoon who have similar tone to U-Know. And… Jaejoong’s confession about not being strangers with Yunho, but instead being close friends for quite a while. So that person…was really U-Know? What?! So all these times I’ve been doing useless things??”_

As if some kind of inspiration had arrived, Ahjoong was distracted by the endless stream of memories. She was losing her mind all those times, so she couldn’t recall things properly, but now she could see a lot of connections and explanations. She reached the hypothesis that Kim Youngwoon is U-Know, and now she even remembered about Jaejoong who told her about his friend’s worry, and his friend’s name was Kim Youngwoon. So Kim Youngwoon actually doesn’t exist.... So Jaejoong was probably telling her his own worries, using the name of someone who doesn’t even exist. What was his problem again?

“Oh God....”

When Ahjoong, who had been quiet, spoke out, Malsook looked back slightly, and Mian and Young also turned back together and looked at her. Ahjoong who doesn’t care about the others staring at her, had her jaw wide open, being shocked all by herself. That was all she could think of in her already narrow line of thought. _“_ _Was that true? Was that really his own problem he was sharing with me? Then that means, Jaejoong is....._ _”_

* * *

Jaejoong, who rode on Yunho's van for the first time, was very excited. “Any groups could ride this!” he admired the spacious car. Yunho lightly smiled. The place where they were heading to was the venue for the music program, which will be his last performance for the album promotion. Yunho suddenly dragged Jaejoong, not wanting to regret not being able to let Jaejoong ride the van and take him to the show even after a few months.

The coordinators had gone and arrived separately, and there were only Jungsoo, Yunho and Jaejoong in the spacious van. Jaejoong was playing around with Yunho’s hands, and without Jungsoo who was focused on driving knowing, Yunho was giving kisses to Jaejoong’s cheek. The two were doing any kind of flirtings possible. Yunho asked Jungsoo why he was driving so fast towards the concert hall, and the manager, who doesn’t have the memory of driving fast, frowned, feeling like he was wronged.

He had more than an hour left before the rehearsal, so he had time to go around the building. So Yunho took Jaejoong's wrist and said, “I'll show him around,” to Jungsoo before walking away. To be honest, there was not much interesting thing to show, and it was hard to see other celebrities because not many singers have arrived yet, but he made an excuse just because he wanted to be with Jaejoong. In front of Jungsoo, he held Jaejoong’s wrist, but after the manager was out of range, they held hands together. It felt so natural that they even intertwined their fingers.

“Now that we’re here, I remembered. It’s not in this broadcast station... But, you know the day I got pushed into your waiting room.”

“The day we first met?”

“Yep! The first― no~ Our first meeting was on the first year of high school, tho.”

“You’re not saying you don’t know anymore, eh, Kim Jaejoong?”

When he sarcastically criticized Jaejoong, who had never remembered until he told him in person, Jaejoong punched Yunho's shoulder with his fist, biting his lower lip. “You call that a punch?” Yunho was making fun of Jaejoong, and then he got surprised and caressed his shoulder when Jaejoong hit him harder.

“If my shoulder popped out and I can’t go on stage, then it’s Kim Jaejoong’s responsibility.”

“How childish.”

“Ouch, this really hurts.”

“......Really?”

When he made a sound of pain with a grim expression on his face, Jaejoong became surprised and began to worry. Actually, Yunho already predicted that Jaejoong would react like that, so he was just playing around. So, when his prediction came true without fail, he was trying hard to hold back his laughter. _“_ _Ah, what do you eat to be this cute?_ _”_ It's something that he had never thought before, but it suddenly comes to his mind. What if Kim Jaejoong was a woman, instead of a man? He probably would be a star like Kim Taehee and Jun Jihyun. He probably would be on Guinness Record as the woman who received the most confessions. Yunho shook his head at the vain imagination.

They sat in a corner, and Jaejoong began to massage Yunho's shoulder. Yunho was forced to sit down and was getting massaged carefully so he doesn’t feel the pain. “What are you doing? It’s ticklish,” he said, but Jaejoong paid no mind and continued to carefully massage him.

In the end, Yunho couldn't stand it and pulled Jaejoong's neck to meet his lips. It was thrilling to kiss in a public place, because even though no one was there at the time, you never know when someone would pass by. Jaejoong thought it would end with a short kiss, but Yunho wouldn't let him go even if he tried to break it off. Jaejoong comforted himself with the thought that no one would pass by anyway, so he stopped caring and wrapped his arms around Yunho’s neck.

But that wasn’t the case at all. Apparently, someone was watching them with their mouth covered and eyes wide open.

Ryuan, who arrived an hour early was annoyed because the manager got the rehearsal time wrong. While walking alone to go to the bathroom without saying nice things to his partner, she got lost. This just showed how she wasn’t the brightest person. She had been here for years but she still couldn’t find the bathroom.

_“_ _Where is this even..._ _”_ She entered a path she was seeing for the first time. She took out the cell phone in her pocket to ask her manager to pick her up. She pressed the shortcut button, put it on her ear, and raised her head. Then, she saw someone half covered by the wall. There were two people in the far corner. Counting the call tone after another, Ryuan moved slowly. Very quietly so that the sound of her heels hitting the floor couldn’t be heard. She put so much pressure on her toes that it hurts.

Obviously, Ryuan was interested in one of the men there. U-Know who sparkled even from far away was there. Now, she was close enough that she could see both of their expressions. Ryuan looked at Yunho's side profile and hung up the call she was making. And then she removed the battery so that it wouldn't make any voice, in case her manager called back.

_“_ _Was he giving_ _Yunho_ _a m_ _a_ _ssage? Who_ _’_ _s that man? Did U-Know change manager?_ _I don't remember hearing such news._ _”_ When it came to U-Know, Ryuan chased him around like a stalker, so if the manager had changed, she definitely would have known. _“_ _Who is it... is it a friend? They look_ _really_ _friendly._ _”_ The direction the man facing didn’t help her, so the face of the man with Yunho couldn’t be seen well. _“_ _Ah, I_ _’_ _m curious~_ _”_ Holding the cell phone with the battery disconnected, Ryuan took a step closer.

And at that moment something big happened.

Ryuan witnessed Yunho pulling the neck of the man who was giving him a massage and kissing him. _“_ _No way..._ _”_ she frowned, and looked properly at the position... They’re kissing deeply... Holding her pounding heart, Ryuan turned back. Even in the midst of this situation, she still moved carefully to not make any noise, in fear of getting caught. It was a huge shock. Apparently, U-Know was kissing a man.

_“_ _....What the hell Jung Yunho.... You were gay?_ _”_

It occurred to her that all the actions U-Know had done to her so far were due to the fact that he prefers the same sex. Although, she was also shocked and bewildered because he was once a black-hearted man.... Above all, she was burning with vengeance over what had happened so far. Ryuan burst into a laughter. _“_ _Jung Yunho... How could you let yourself be seen at such a scene. How idiotic._ _”_

* * *

Ahjoong was preoccupied with something even when she arrived at the concert hall. Young, Malsook and Mian no longer asked about Ahjoong's condition and just let her be. It was because her serious face was better than when she was in a bad shape.

Ahjoong was really on the verge of madness. The possibility of “Jaejoong liking Yunho” was already in the process of solidifying, so her excitement was over the limit. Normally, she would’ve performed her foolish celebration dance, but she couldn’t. If Jaejoong really have that kind of feelings towards Yunho.... That means they’re in a love triangle.... _“_ _No!! I don_ _’_ _t want that!!!_ _”_

Once again, the three of them clicked their tongue shook their heads. “Urgh, bitch, snap out of it and stand in line properly!” Ahjoong managed to pull herself together thanks to Young’s scolding. The crowds lined according to their fanclubs and came inside the venue. The board members confirming the KNOW YOUs, greeted Young and the others and let them go inside.

It was chaotic. They brought their cheering tools and almost got dizzy at their surrounding. Of course there are more KNOW YOUs than other fandoms, but they could also see a lot of Ryuan’s fans. As expected, they were behaving rudely. They were doing all kinds of childish behavior, popping off other singer’s balloons and cheering tools, throwing them to the floor. They even invaded KNOW YOUs place.

“ _Eonni._ I’m going to the bathroom for a bit.”

“It’ll be hard now, tho... You’re in hurry?”

“Ah... Yeah.”

“Okay, come back quick.”

She told Mian to be careful, and Young began to step forward to defend KNOW YOUs. The older women who seemed to be quite old, who probably were the executives of the fan club over there, were using tricks to expand their space. There were also a lot of male fans, so it's normal to be intimidated at first, but Young was so pissed and approached them, twisting her lips.

“Hey, why do you keep pushing us?”

“What? A KNOW YOU?”

“.....Huh? Do you know me? Why are you speaking so rudely?”

“Don’t care. Fuck off. Aren’t you guys the reason why U-Know got sworn at?”

“......Wow. I’m going crazy.”

It was rare for a woman to be in similar height to Young. She was tall for a woman. But, even more rarely, her big body and looks were something else. _“_ _If I combined myself with Ahjoong, this woman would still be bigger than us,_ _”_ she thought. Although it was too much of a hassle to deal with, Young rolled up her sleeves as she didn’t want KNOW YOUs’ area to be invaded.

_“_ _Did God gave this present for Ryuan...? Why are all her fans have huge bodies? Even the girls... Is this a fan club or a fight club?_ _”_ Young, Malsook, and Ahjoong (actually, this person is only frowning and being uncooperative) rolled up their sleeves, and male fans crawled out. _“_ _We_ _’_ _re prettier than that Ryuan you all can't live with even if you all die_ _.._ _._ _”_

As expected. The men came out with a snap of their head, and when they saw Young and the other's faces, they could only gulp and stare dumbly. She had never seen them before, so she didn't think they've ever met the gang before. It was obvious they had never heard of KNOW YOUs good reputation down to the executives. Pissed at the male fans getting all shy at Young’s gang, the muscled women also rolled up their sleeves. _“_ _Oh God, look at those arms..._ _”_

Not wanting to lose, Young did a jaw exercise to loosen her mouth. She then turned her head back to call the KNOW YOUs prideful strong physical background, mastering in kendo, taekwondo, and hapkido, Lee Mian...... She wasn’t in her spot. _“_ _Lee Mian is not here..._ _”_ Young frowned because Ryuan's fan grabbed her by the collar like how men fight. She was really unlucky. All these kind of women are here. This is the first time that she had been grabbed by the collar in a fan war.

On the other hand, Mian who said she was going to go the bathroom, walked in between the crowds and went through a completely different direction from the bathroom. She felt like there was going to be a fight with Ryuan’s fans, so she made an excuse to get out of the situation. _“_ _They looked hella scary._ _”_ Feeling sorry for Young, Malsook, and Ahjoong, she walked towards the emergency exit and stood against the wall.

Whether it’s a fight between fans, between a man and a woman, every time a fearless high school bullies came out, she always got into trouble since she had no confidence to end the fight. But she really didn't want to get involved in the fight with Ryuan’s group’s fans. _“I'm sure_ _the_ _wise Young_ _-_ eonni _will take care of it...”_ With a heavy smile, she let out a chuckle.

_“_ _I think it_ _’_ _ll be over by now?_ _”_ After about ten minutes, she thought that it would’ve been over, so she went back to the concert hall. She could hear the sound of her hills hitting the floor. But then, the sound of her footsteps began to change a little. No, actually more footsteps could be heard from a little further away. Mian raised her head.

_“_ _Oh... It_ _’_ _s U-Know!!!_ _”_ U-Know was walking down the hallway across the hall where Mian stood. He was with someone else. She wasn’t close enough, so she had to squint to take a closer look. And she noticed the identity of the man walking by U-Know's side... It was a familiar face. The face that she know of so well.

Before she could be surprised at the fact that the man walking with U-Know was Jaejoong, Mian staggered and held hreself to the wall next to her, as she found them holding hands so tightly.


	30. YJ Project - Chapter 30.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Jung Yunho and Kim Jaejoong!!! Fucking fuck they were walking in the hallways while holding hands!!!!!!!! I clearly saw it with these two eyes!!!!”

Mian turned back and ran wildly to the place where the YunJae-Making admins were at. Just seeing U-Know by chance is enough to make her heart flutter, but looking at YunJae, whom she liked even more than U-Know, holding hands tightly... Mian shook her head, her long hair swishing. _“_ _I don't know. What to do. What that_ _was_ _just now._ _”_

Mian, who entered the concert hall with huge effort, overcame the crowd with her superhuman strength and headed for the gang. She wondered how the fight ended, as there were no shouts of cuss words, and all she could hear were the cheers for the singers who were doing pre-recording. She managed to find the gang, and as expected, they looked relaxed, as if they had just won the fight against Ryuan’s fans. Well, even though their clothes were wrinkled and their hairs were a bit messy.

She could see Ryuan’s fans far away over there. The woman still looked angry as she rolled up her sleeves again, but was held back by the male fans and the staffs. Then, Young gave them a tantalizingly rotten smile.

Mian, who barely managed to catch her breath, approached the gang, reached out and put her hand over Ahjoong's shoulder. Then Ahjoong looked back and put on a grim face. “Where did you go―” She was about to get angry but stopped when she saw Mian looking like she was in a hurry. Young and Malsook, who realized Mian had arrived, also looked back at them and tilted their heads even though they were angry.

“What? What’s the matter?”

“Huuhhhhh.... Hukkk..... Hey... Kim Ahjoong... Ahh fuck....”

“...?? Did you suddenly rush here just to cuss at me?”

“Uuuuurgghhhh!!!! This bitch!! You knew all these times didn’t you?!!”

“What the? Hey, Lee Mian, what’s wrong?”

“Aaaaaackk I’m going nuts!!!”

Mian looked like she was in a bad condition as she smacked her fist to her chest. Ahjoong was worried, but she was getting angry because Mian cursed at her. Young and Malsook were just looking at Mian’s face, not knowing what was happening. Just what made her go mad? Something must have happened because her face turned red and she was so worked up.

Young hurriedly separated the two as Mian looked like she was about to grab on Ahjoong’s hair. She threw wise words at Mian, who was making a fuss telling her to let go, and calmed her down. The heat won’t go away, so Mian had to fan her face hard.

Despite the loud cheers surrounding them, silence was circulating among them. Young messed her short hair, making it even more messy than it already was, and asked Mian.

“What is it, Lee Mian? Where did you go and why did you ran back here making a fuss?”

As soon as she heard Young’s question, Mian’s rage rose again. She spat out her words, but at that time, the cheers were too loud as another singer appeared on the stage. When their surroundings were less noisy, Young asked, “What did you say?”

“Urghh, Kim Ahjoong already knew everything.... Now I understand why you posted those words in the cafe.”

“Hey hey hey. So what is it that Ahjoong know? Can’t you explain it?”

“Ah seriously this is crazy this is really ahhh..... She knew all of that and is laughing alone by herself! So annoying! She must be so fucking happy!!”

“Are you crazy??” Young and Malsook frowned, not understanding what Mian was talking about. On the other hand, Ahjoong had began to understand the reason for Mian’s behavior little by little. The only secret she didn’t tell them, the story she posted on the cafe, this Mian’s absurd behavior of being overwhelmed by happiness but is unable to control her anger...

“Ah...” Young looked at Ahjoong who shut her mouth after letting out a sound of realization. _“_ _She seems to be normal at least. Looks like she guessed what_ _’_ _s wrong with Lee Mian._ _”_

“Spit it out. What’s with Lee Mian?”

“.....Ah, that...Well.....”

“Jung Yunho and Kim Jaejoong!!! Fucking fuck they were walking in the hallways while holding hands!!!!!!!! I clearly saw it with these two eyes!!!!”

Just how loud did Mian shout that the KNOW YOUs around them looked at them, as if they had heard what she was saying. Young and Malsook's eyes were wide open. Ahjoong opened her mouth wide and palmed her forehead. Mian opened his mouth again, as if she had more to say.

“It doesn’t look like they’ve only met for one or two days. They looked so close. Is it that easy for two guys to walk around while holding hands? Wow.... I thought I was gonna pass out. Kim Ahjoong, you like laughing alone by yourself, hiding this from us, huh? Huh? You like it??”

“........”

“Since when is it? Huh? When did they get close? Dammit, say something!!”

Except for Mian, everyone closed their mouths. Ahjoong was scratching her chin and thinking of excuses, but her nostrils were flaring at the fact that they were holding hands. Young and Malsook looked at each other, searching for an explanation. What is this situation? What did she see? Why is she so angry at Ahjoong?

“Mian- _ah_.... I’m sorry....”

“Urgh... My head hurts.”

“Let’s go out first.”

U-Know’s last stage would come out at the end of the show anyway, because the finale had to be impactful. To them, the last stage is not themostimportant thing right now. Young led them out of the noisy place. They moved in a group, searching for a quiet place to get their heads together and talk it out. But, to make the matter worse, they immediately run into Jaejoong.

They almost passed him, but Malsook was surprised and pointed at him, drawing everyone's attention to him. Maybe he was just about to enter the concert hall, but Jaejoong turned his eyes at them in a clumsy posture while walking. He was thinking about what kind of excuses to make. But whatever excuses he use would still involve U-Know... So what’s the use of it.

Without thinking, Young grabbed Jaejoong's wrist and dragged him along. The five of them arrived at a quiet place after a rough walk. While walking, everyone's head was in a mess, so no one could stop walking and open their mouths.

“Jaejoong- _ah_ , it’s been a while, huh?”

“Ah, Hello _Nuna_ s... Ahaha....”

“Mian- _ah_. Stop getting so worked up. Tell him what you said earlier. Take it easy.”

“??”

_“_ _Did they fight? What_ _’_ _s with the_ _mood_ _..._ _”_ Dragged in by the pressure, Jaejoong’s teeth were grinding without himself knowing. Ahjoong’s face turned white, Mian’s turned red, and Malsook looked drunk. As Young, who seemed to be relatively normal, tries to mediate and induced the conversation, Mian stammers out her words.

“Fwahh.... Jaejoong- _ah_. You... with U.. U-Know....”

“.....!!”

“Are you guys close?”

At the last words, Jaejoong opened his eyes widely and turned his head towards Ahjoong. He saw her waving her hands, mouthing “I didn’t say anything!!” _“_ _No one else but my sister could leak this out... Did Mian-_ nuna _s_ _ee_ _me wa_ _lking_ _around with Yunho? Don_ _’_ _t tell me it was the kiss...._ _”_ Jaejoong struggled to stop his imagination to the worst case, and glanced at them.

“W-why? I mean, why would I be close with someone like U-Know~?”

“Funny, huh. I saw you walking while holding hands with him, tho?”

“.....Ah, so you saw us, huh.”

He was glad she didn’t see them kissing. At this point, Jaejoong decided to give up lying. He thought that he had already been captured.

Just like that, Ahjoong's gang dragged Jaejoong to a place for a deeper conversation , their home. In the end, U-Know's final stage which was full of expectations couldn’t be seen by any of them.

After a quiet drive, they arrived at Ahjoong’s house. He was so intimidated that his head was spinning at the thought of what to say so that he wouldn’t be scolded as much. Although Jaejoong did nothing wrong, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had deceived them. Even though he technically _is_ still deceiving them.

Entering the house, they all reached the living room, creating a solemn atmosphere. They made Jaejoong sit in the middle of the sofa. Jaejoong shook his shoulder as they made the scene like he was gonna get interrogated. Ahjoong was holding her tongue to prevent herself from talking. Mian was swallowing her saliva since earlier.

“Um... So... It’s not that I purposefully choose to hide this. Ah, my sister also only found out a few days ago. Since _Nunas_ are all KNOW YOUs, I thought you all would be shocked, so I didn’t say― Yes? Ah, is that so...? Anyway, I’ll tell everything slowly. Please wait for a bit. Can’t you all just ask one by one? Uwaaah I’m going crazy. Yeah, so actually I’ve known Jung Yunho since his trainee days. No! We didn’t talk to each other at that time. It was when _Nunas_ pushed me into the waiting room, and when I went to the fansign, and somehow I got his number... Ah, that fanmeeting? At that time we’ve only texted each other. Yunho chose me for the event for jokes. Jung Yunho’s closest friend and my friend― ah, you know Jungwoo, right? Anyway, the two of them enlisted, so Yunho and I are the closest to each other right now. The hand-holding? Ah that... We just got so close, so...”

Every time Jaejoong said a word, they were shocked. And his story, which had never been heard before, caught Ahjoong’s ears. Jaejoong roughly finished his talk, answering questions as they kept interrupting and asking questions. After hearing all the explanations, Ahjoong, Young, Malsook, and Mian had tears in their eyes. “What's with the mood?” Embarrassed, Jaejoong tried to get up from his seat, but he was caught in a flash.

Jaejoong couldn’t move because they surrounded him and each of them pulled him into a horrendous hug for a long time, and they kept asking him more questions. It was only after a while that he remembered that he hadn’t seen U-Know's goodbye stage, and Jaejoong's mind was in a hurry. _“_ _He even canceled the company dinner to hang out with me. I'm sure the show's over by now..._ _”_ Without the others knowing, he checked his phone screen and found several missed calls. _“Argh,_ _he_ _must’_ _ve_ _been looking for_ _me for long_ _. Maybe he gave up looking and went to_ _the company dinner_ _.”_

After hours of being caught and getting harassed, it wasn’t until late at night that Jaejoong could be released. But then again, because his parents weren't home, they were all sleeping at his place. Jaejoong couldn’t help but feel discouraged. A little after eleven o'clock, when all of them went into Ahjoong’s room and the house became quiet, Jaejoong tiptoed his way to the front door and left the house carefully. After leaving the house without letting the door make a sound, Jaejoong called Yunho and took a quick step towards the subway station.

*****ding dong***** He pressed the bell, and after a while, the door opened, revealing Yunho’s figure. Normally, they would hug or kiss right as the door opened, but somehow, Yunho only opened the door and turned around and walked back inside. Jaejoong puffed his cheeks, and followed him with a sullen expression. Looks like he was on the internet, as he goes into the workroom with a computer. Yunho sat down on the chair and put his hand on the mouse, acting as if Jaejoong wasn’t there at all. He didn’t even spare him a glance.

“Heeey Jung Yunho~”

“......”

“Ah, say something~ I said I had something to do, didn’t I...? How was the company dinner?”

“You promised and then suddenly disappeared. I was worried, you know?”

“Huh?”

“You wouldn’t even answer my calls. I thought something bad happened, so I checked your phone’s location.”

“Y-you did?”

“But it said that you were home. So I stood there feeling relieved... But I was upset.”

“.....”

_“_ _Aaaaaaahhhhhh Why is he so cuttteee???? Jung Yunho! When did you start practicing the cute act??!! Huh??!_ _”_ He had sinned by not watching the final stage and not telling him before going, but what can he do if Yunho acts this cute? Jaejoong couldn't control his smile and climbed up Yunho's leg. Yunho turned really sulky as he tried to push Jaejoong away, who was grabbing his face and biting his chin, which then made Yunho turn really sulky.

“Sooo U-Know is upset, hmm?”

“You’re heavy. Get off.”

“You won’t kiss me?”

“.......”

Sighing at Jaejoong's bold words, Yunho looked up at him. The one sitting on his thigh and pulling on his neck, is definitely a fox. _“_ _Since when have you become so bold?_ _”_ He thought the upset feeling he had would last long since Jaejoong didn’t tell the reason why he suddenly disappeared and made him worry, but that was not the case. Maybe it was because of the pale-skinned man was chewing on his lips while smiling.

Well, so what if he couldn’t get an explanation? Maybe there was a reason why he disappeared in such a hurry. Yunho, who decided to leave it behind, cupped Jaejoong's cheeks as he let go of his sad face. _“_ _But since I kinda hate you today, I won_ _’_ _t let you do it your way._ _”_ Jaejoong closed his eyes, waiting for a kiss on his lips. But Yunho just passed his lips and buried his face on the back of Jaejoong’s white neck. Jaejoong, who opened his eyes wide in surprise, couldn't push away the ticklish softness. If he left a kiss mark on his neck, his sister and her friends would nitpick at him, asking, “What kind of bitch are you?”

“Don’t s-suck... _ah_... on it. Okaay?”

_“_ _I_ _’_ _m not listening to you anyway._ _”_ Yunho didn’t actually intend to leave a trace, but as soon as he heard Jaejoong, his mind was clouded by the green fog. He stopped nibbling on Jaejoong’s neck and began to suck his skin deeply. “Aack!” Even when he was annoyed, Jaejoong hugged Yunho’s head. Yunho chuckled, still finding him pretty. Eventually, a couple of marks were left around his neck. Jaejoong got off from Yunho’s leg, slowly putting his forehead on Yunho's forehead.

Jaejoong stared at Yunho, covering the remaining visible parts Yunho’s face with his palm. Yunho, however, only shrugs and turns his eyes back to the monitor. _“You’_ _re not_ _even_ _play_ _ing a_ _game. What the hell are you_ _even_ _doing?”_ Jaejoong who was curious, stopped staring at Yunho and looked at the screen which Yunho was looking at. He didn’t seem to be doing anything but clicking and searching things here and there.

“You’re not even doing anything. What’s so fun about that? Just go to your fancafe or something...”

“To Kim Jaejoong’s 1st Fancafe?”

“Ugh, shut it.”

“Hehehe...”

With a small smile, Yunho put his cursor over the search box as a reminder to search something. _“_ _What should I type..._ _”_ he shortly thought before smiling mischievously and pressed on his keyboard.

[Jung Yunho Kim Jaejoong]

He was sure that only Jaejoong's and his fancafes, and some questions would appear, since there was nothing to expect because it was purely a joke. “The hell is that?” Jaejoong asked, poking on Yunho’s shoulder and turned his gaze back to the monitor. Yunho was about to scroll down meaninglessly, but he stopped. The top related search was a post on a fancafe’s noticeboard. [YunJae-Making]...? What is this?

Jaejoong who was also curious, encouraged Yunho to click on the post. They entered the YunJae-Making fancafe page and looked at the main page.

“Oh...!”

Jung Yunho and Kim Jaejoong’s faces were shown. How did something like this get to be on the main page? Yunho and Jaejoong exchanged curious glances, and quickly decided to join the fancafe to find out what it was about. Then, he clicked on [YunJae-Making] which was on the top of the noticeboard. They got into a post introducing the cafe. Yunho and Jaejoong froze. They couldn’t even think of anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- “Mian-ah.... I’m sorry....” actually sounds like a pun... Because Mian-ah... Mianhae...


	31. YJ Project - Chapter 31.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She hasn’t told Young, Malsook, and Mian about meeting U-Know yet. If she tells them this, they'll say that Yunho likes her. And then Ahjoong will be buried alive.

_“Kim Jaejoong’s biological sister...? ...My sister? Kim Ahjoong??_ ” Jaejoong’s face was gradually turning pale. Yunho was also frowning, trying to understand the situation. Jaejoong tilted his head and moved his face closer to the monitor. Thinking that he had misread it, he raised his hands and rubbed his eyes. Nothing changed…

“What’s this…?”

“.....YunJae......”

“Huh?”

“I think I’ve heard it somewhere before.”

“YunJae? I think I did too… Anyway! YunJae as in _that_ YunJae… Ah, that’s not the problem! Someone is pretending to be my sister!”

Yunho scratched his chin, and Jaejoong slightly pushed Yunho’s hand away so he could hold the mouse. Only by finding out how these people are gonna make YunJae happen would appease his mind. After scrolling for a moment, he clicked on a random bulletin board and found a post with tens to hundreds of comments. He was gonna randomly click on any post but it shocked him along with Yunho.

Someone was burying their lips on Jaejoong’s neck. When he checked carefully, he found that that someone was actually Yunho. Jaejoong covered his face with his hands in shock, and Yunho's eyes, which was frowning, is now wide open. _“Is this from the paparazzi? Don’t tell me it was earlier…. Nah. No way.”_ The clothes and the background in this picture have nothing to do with Yunho's household. The two, who were holding their pounding chests and concentrating on the monitor, eventually noticed that the photo was actually a nicely photoshopped picture.

 _“No, but why would they make this edit?_ _YunJae-Making_ _. What kind of place is this?”_ Jaejoong looked at the monitor again after exchanging glances with Yunho. He scrolled down and checked the comments, and…

[Ah. Such competence! It looks like they’re actually doing it TT]

[Kyaaaah YunJae rise~]

[Ooff-_-*…. This amazing picture♡ OOT, but you know the notice that _Nuna-_ nim just posted? It felt like she was saying that YunJae already met. Her hint leads to that…]

[They’re probably doing the same thing as the pic right now.]

_“Who are these people…?”_ Jaejoong didn’t blink and clicked on other posts. But all of them were photoshopped pictures of Yunho and Jaejoong, or pictures of them posing similar or making similar expressions, and they were talking about how married couples resemble each other and other things like that. They were dumbfounded but also were amazed that they were seeing a whole different world.

There were also a few bulletin boards that were restricted from access because they were only for the registered members. Jaejoong sat between Yunho’s legs, and checked all the accessible posts to grasp the situation.

Actually, he already knew what fanfics were, because there were also fanfics posted in Jaejoong’s fancafe’s fanfic bulletin board, with him being the main character. But this.... made him lose his words. All the fanfics there were of Yunho and Jaejoong being a couple. They were what people call by “slash fictions”. All the fanfics posted on Jaejoong’s fancafe’s fanfic bulletin board were about heterosexual romance that seemed to be written by younger fans, so the board wasn’t very active. But in this site, this bulletin board was the most active out of all boards.

After poking around in shock, Jaejoong went back to the main bulletin board and found a post he hadn’t seen before. The writer of the post was the person in question, [YunJae’s _Nuna_ ]. Jaejoong tapped Yunho, who was resting his chin on Jaejoong’s shoulder, swallowed his saliva, and clicked on the notice. _“_ _Who are you?_ _”_

The post started with [Hello YunJae-ers, I’m YunJae’s _Nuna_.], and talked about some kind of project getting successful. What project? YJ? Is that the initials for YunJae? Why would they say it’s getting successful...?

“Eh... No way...”

“The person who wrote this. Is it really your sister’s impostor?”

“......”

“She’s a KNOW YOU board member. Of course she’d know about a cafe this big. You think she’d let someone imitate her?"

What Yunho said makes sense. Kim Ahjoong's temper is so bad that she wouldn’t neglect the fact that someone had impersonated her. If it was that person, she’d even track their IP address, and locked the impostor in a dark room. _“_ _Then that means, this person is really Ahjoong-_ nuna _?_ _”_

Yunho's breathing on the back of his neck is irregular. Unlike Jaejoong, he frowned, looked expressionless, and repeat. He didn’t look surprised at all even though he was getting the same information, but Jaejoong could feel his uneven breathing brushing his neck. _“_ _My_ _man's head is getting_ _messy._ _”_

“I knew about these kind of things, but I wouldn’t even dream there would be things about us. So far, even when the fans said things about YunJae or something, I never knew it was about that."

“Me too. I’ve heard about YunJae a lot. Even though I rarely checked my fancafe, there were a lot of talks about YunJae. I just thought that it was a popular fan’s name.”

“I’m confused.”

“Why?”

“Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”

“....This would be fun if Kim Ahjoong didn’t find out... Don’t tell me... Then...?”

Jaejoong remembered. Every time he suddenly entered Ahjoong's room, she would quickly cover the monitor or press the power button. He thought that she was flustered because she was watching porn, but that wasn’t it. She probably was taking care of the YunJae-Making Cafe. _“_ _But then why in the right mind would she pair me with Jung Yunho.... Me... and Jung Yunho..._ _”_

“Oh God.”

“What?”

“Then, _Nuna_ is on our side?”

“Huh?”

“It’s been more than a year since then... Far before we met...”

_“But how could she do that? How did she think of that, and how can more than 10,000 people be active in this kind of cafe? And above all, my sister is the leader of the cafe.”_

“What do we do?”

“....”

Yunho and Jaejoong, who had been in a daze for a long time after discovering the huge info earlier, were lying in bed trying to fall asleep, after turning the computer off since a while ago. Jaejoong who was lying in Yunho’s arms, gently asked. He wriggled his fingers on on Yunho’s chest, but the other gave no answer.

He didn't have to get permission to stay out because his parents weren't home. With his phone not receiving any calls, Jaejoong had no reason to care about Ahjoong and her friends, who were busy playing among themselves, forgetting about his existence. So he chose to sleep at Yunho's house without hesitation. But even in Yunho’s comfortable arms, he was confused by the incident that broke out earlier. Yunho’s arms, which were attentively supporting his head, were dependable. But he was more afraid of Ahjoong’s arms, even though they’re thin, as she had the power to make him get together with this man.

To be honest, him having this kind relationship with Yunho couldn’t be called normal and it was unexpected. But isn't his case different? How did she become the representative who follows their love line? So, him getting the opportunity to meet Yunho again and get close to him... All these things were done in their meticulous planning...?

He suddenly felt his head hurting again, so Jaejoong bumped his forehead against Yunho's chest. Yunho then asked, “What’s wrong?” and cupped Jaejoong’s cheeks, kissing him on the forehead. He wasn’t angry or irritated. He just find it ridiculous. No, but what kind of brain structure does it take for a human to create a virtual couple between a celebrity and a commoner, and on top of that, both of them are men? It’s an extremely wild take. Even though the word “imaginary couple” doesn’t exactly describe what they are right now.

“What are we gonna do about my sis?”

“...Dunno... What would you gain by asking her?”

“We’re not telling her?”

“Well... I _am_ curious about that though.”

“Don’t fall behind.”

They developed a habit of making eye contact every time they talked. Even in the dark, Jaejoong would move back a bit, so that they could make eye contact. Yunho wrapped his arms around Jaejoong’s waist and took him back to his arms. Yunho's sharp chin touched the top of Jaejoong’s head. Does it feel good to have two flat bodies against each other that Yunho didn’t want to let Jaejoong go even for a moment...? _“_ _What kind of thoughts are you having right now?_ _”_

“Why didn’t you say anything? Weren’t you surprised?”

“As if I’m not.”

“You’re not giving any reaction, tho?”

“Celebrities usually have these kinds of things. I'm not that unfamiliar with it. But the fact that you’re the other person was an exception to that.”

_“_ _Urgh.... He_ _’_ _s too cool._ _”_ He beautifully hate Yunho who always gives a subtle emotional impression even if it was about nothing. Even though there were no more spaces to move closer, Jaejoong was so frustrated that he tried sticking to Yunho even closer. That’s right. Leave the questions of the past as they were, tomorrow's worries are for tomorrow, and the present happiness is all you need.

“Are you like that too?”

“What?”

“Feeling so happy.”

“....”

“To be honest, the fact that my sis is that odd cafe admin, she wouldn’t see our relationship as weird. Rather, she would impatiently help us get closer down to our bones. Embarrassing things aside, that was actually a good thing.”

“Is that so?”

“Even if you speak so coldly, you’re burying all those thoughtful things? That’s so nice...”

_“_ _Yeah._ _Me too,_ _”_ Yunho didn’t answer out loud and only gave him a slight smile in the dark. Actually, Yunho was also having a lot of happy days. Because this man was changing his humanless, boring life which was filled with gray light, into a beautiful colorful life. One day it was a brilliant white, one day it was pleasant pink, one day it was a drowsy sky blue... Yunho’s “Yesterday was a regret, today was tiring, tomorrow is a worry” changed to “Yesterday was fun, today was happy, tomorrow is an expectation.” All thanks to this beautiful man.

When was it? The day he thought he was used to and comfortable with being alone? Right now, if this man is not in sight, his heart would tremble out of anxiety. Jung Yunho, who was famous for being cynical, had changed this much because of that one person. Kim Jaejoong, what kind of ability did you have to change a person's life?

“Sleeping...?” Yunho shook Jaejoong's head with his chin to announce that he was awake. When Jaejoong asked if he was sleepy, he answered, “No. Why?” Jaejoong whined, “Then at least give me an answer! I was so embarrassed....”

“I’m so thankful that you even came to me.” Jaejoong is so adorable to say such pretty words that he’s not envious of any other couples.

The back of his neck was still stained with the trace of Yunho’s breathe from earlier. Yunho swept away Jaejoong's hair. He could feel the thin arms hugging waist. He wants to kiss everything completely, from every strand of hair down to his toes. So far, his face, neck, and the back of his hand were all the rest areas he could find in Jaejoong, so the idea heated up his cold cheeks.

Is it okay not to meet Ahjoong anymore? If it was true that she was having such thoughts, he thought that she'll cooperate with him right away if he just brought the matter up. Yunho let out a hollow laugh, searching for Jaejoong’s lips.

* * *

Ahjoong stayed up all night talking about YunJae with Young, Malsook and Mian. Their original goal was for them to be close friends and it already succeeded, so they couldn’t help but be greedier. As a result, they stayed up all night discussing how to create a feeling that was more than just friendships between Yunho and Jaejoong. They thought it wouldn’t be hopeless, given the claim that they had been holding hands.

Ahjoong rubbed her stiff eyes and saw them off, yawning. “Bye! Take care~” Shortly after, she left the noisy porch. Ahjoong shook her head and headed for Jaejoong's room. _“He should be up by now, but why hasn't he showed his nose yet?”_ Standing in front of Jaejoong's room, scratching the back of her head, Ahjoong burst the door open.

“Hey Kim Jaejoong wake up―….. huh?”

The room was empty. Jaejoong wasn’t there. Thinking that he went into the bathroom, she checked both bathrooms, but she couldn't even see a single strain of Jaejoong’s hair. “This is weird,” she tilted her head and went back to her room. Ahjoong picked up the cell phone in front of the monitor and checked the inbox just in case.

[I slept at Yunho’s house. I’ll go to campus from here, so I’m letting you know.

From. U-Know’s Wife]

_“…..Yu… Yunho’s…. house…. I slept at Yunho’s house. I slept at Yunho’s house. I slept at Yunho’s house.. Slept… Slept……”_ She felt as if her nose was gonna bleed at any moment. Wooaah… This situation is so much like a dream. The cunning thing sneaked out yesterday from in-between them and went to Jung Yunho's house. “Why are you such a good kid? Huh?” While muttering excitedly that no one would hear, Ahjoong suddenly stopped giggling when the cell phone in her hand vibrated. When she looked down at the screen, there was a new text message.

[ _Nuna_ , can we meet today?

From. That person]

“……”

“……”

_“Ah, seriously? We've been meeting each other so much these days. Am I really a KNOW YOU?”_ Ahjoong thought. She hasn’t told Young, Malsook, and Mian about meeting U-Know yet. If she tells them this, they'll say that Yunho likes her. And then Ahjoong will be buried alive.

Yunho said he would come to her house, without thinking it was a hassle nor it would be a inconvenient. She hasn’t fully prepared her heart yet, but he already arrived so quickly. She had to make Yunho change his mind even if it would result in him disliking her. But even so, she was afraid it would affect Jaejoong’s image badly, so she couldn’t take this lightly. Yunho tilted his head, looking at Ahjoong who chewed on her fingernails after drinking a sip of juice. He thought that she’s already in her right mind.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

“Huh? N-no!”

“You look sick. You should take care of yourself.”

_“So you’re worried of_ Nuna _, huh…. I’m really fine, tho. Don't look at me with such loving eyes. You should treat me like I’m Jaejoong’s sister…”_ Ahjoong is playing in her imagination by herself again. Yunho was already used to Ahjoong changing her expressions even though nothing was happening. It was already to the point where he stopped caring. _“Just what on earth is she thinking when she’s in front of me that she made all those faces?”_

Yunho stared strangely at Ahjoong who kept playing with her fingers and was even worse at being able to talk properly. Yunho straightened his voice. Even if Ahjoong is on his side, he still have to make sure of it until the end. It was so that it would be easier for him to ask about the matter

“You know, yesterday was the goodbye stage for my 3rd album.”

“Huh? Ah... Aaaaahh that’s right!!”

“....So what I’m saying is―”

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. I’m sorry, U-Know- _nim_. I had something urgent yesterday. Ah, I really have to watch it. See you in a bit, I have to watch it from my computer right now.”

“Uh, that urgent matter, does it have something to do with Jaejoong?”

“....Eh?”

“I was with Jaejoong at the concert hall until before the rehearsal yesterday. I was supposed to be with him after my performance, but he disappeared. I was wondering if the reason was related to you. If that's the case, it'll be a relief.”

_“Huh?_ _So y_ _ou were supposed to enjoy your date after the performance?_ _You meant to say that_ _we got in the way of that?!?!”_ Ahjoong's expression was distorted by the overwhelming sense of remorse. Yunho frowned, as if she looked unsightly, but Ahjoong was unable to see that as she was busy messing her hair wildly. After some time, with her spirit gathered back to where it was supposed to be, she opened her mouth.

“You were worried, huh... Yeah I brought him with me. I had to go somewhere with him. I’m really sorry.”

“No no it’s okay. I’ve seen him at night.”

_“_ _I_ _’_ _ve seen him at night... Did you know that that sounds quite something to my ears?_ _”_ She thought that she should continue working as a YunJae-Making admin with this kind of comfort. _“By the way, I’ll make you forget_ _about_ _me as soon as possible so that you can have_ _a_ _more_ _-_ _than_ _-_ _friendship_ _relationship_ _with Jaejoong._ _Arghh, Kim Ahjoong, why do you have to be so pretty?! I wish I looked a little uglier. No, but Jaejoong doesn't look worse than me. Ah, I'm so upset. Is it because the original sin of being a man?_ _”_

In a very short time all kinds of thoughts ran through her head. Ahjoong blinked and stared at Yunho who was sitting in front of her. _“_ _Aaargh_ _, you are_ _extremely_ _handsome, but you_ _really_ _have to be my brother's man.”_ She was so nervous that her legs were shaking. It was at that time. Suddenly Yunho got up and came closer to Ahjoong. Then, he lowered his upper body and slowly drew his face closer to Ahjoong's face. It was so sudden that Ahjoong stuck her back to the sofa, unable to repress her astonishment.

 _“_ _No, are you crazy?! What are you.... No no you can_ _’_ _t! Don_ _’_ _t come closer! No, you_ _’_ _re Jaejoong_ _’_ _s. We can_ _’_ _t be like this. Stop stop stop!! I already have an owner. We can_ _’_ _t Yunho-_ yah _please stopstop..... J-Jungwoo-_ yaaaah... _huhuuuu..._ _”_

“What is this?”

“.....heuk. Hmmm??”

..... She was shaking her head with her eyes closed at Yunho's face as he approached her. Then, she heard a voice from far away. She opened one eye and looked at the situation. Yunho was on the sofa where he was sitting before with a picture in his hand. The picture was a picture of Jaejoong's childhood, which was placed on top of the sofa where Ahjoong sat. Yesterday, she was cleaning the floor under the sofa and found the picture, so she put it up somewhere. Yunho, who found it, picked it up.

Whether Yunho concluded that Ahjoong's condition was not very good, he no longer asked her if she was okay. He was just staring at the picture he found with shining eyes. Kim Jaejoong's childhood picture. _“_ _The time when I didn_ _’_ _t know you..._ _”_ A smile appeared on his lips. His face was the same, but at this time, it was quite obvious that he was a boy because of his short hair. _“_ _He looks pretty damn cute. I_ _’_ _m gonna get this picture later after I try to coax Ahjoong-_ nuna _._ _”_

On the other hand, Ahjoong was cooling herself down with her head bowed at the surging embarrassment. Yunho actually didn’t think of anything. And then she suddenly remembered the thoughts that came when Yunho came closer to her. _“_ _I was too over the top. What_ _’_ _s with the nos and don_ _’_ _ts. Ahh so embarrassing.... Wait.... J-Jungwoo-_ yaaah.... _?_ _”_ Ahjoong was definitely calling out to Jungwoo at that time. _“_ _I haven't even thought about him since he joined the army._ _”_

Thinking what what was so good about Jaejoong’s childhood photo that Yunho keep staring at it, Ahjoong snickered. Then she glanced at Yunho once again before biting on her fingernails. _“_ _Somehow this is weird._ _”_ She wasn’t sure of it yet, but apparently something was going against Ahjoong’s imaginary universe.


	32. YJ Project - Chapter 32.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> < “IsthisKimJaejoong?IfSoThenTakeTheCallOrDidYouNotRecognizeMyVoice?” >

Yunho kept staring at Jaejoong’s childhood photo for a long time, probably finding it amusing. Ahjoong, who was dancing exaggeratedly alone, coughs for no reason. She wondered if she was having an expectation in her own way because it was U-Know, but she didn’t feel any kind of disappointment. Instead, Jungwoo’s face which suddenly appeared in her mind confused her even more. _“Anyway, Yunho_ -yah _. Why aren't you looking at me and ke_ _ep_ _staring at the picture? Look at me. I said look at me.”_

“Um, why do you keep looking at that photo?”

“Yes? Ah…. This is Jaejoongie, right? How old was he?”

“Probably around 7 years old?”

“Aaaahh… It’s just that he looked too cute.”

_“Oh, he said he looked too cute. What are you going to do? Do you like that young kid Jaejoong so much? What about the current Jaejoong?”_

“Oh, _Nuna_ you can just drop the formal speech. I've always felt so uncomfortable... Also, you're four years older than me. I want it to be comfortable.”

“Eeh? Ah, no, I feel comfo―”

“I’m the one feeling uncomfortable.”

“Ah… I see.”

_“That's not even a request or permission. That's just an order. It feels like I'm gonna get hit I don’t speak informally…”_ Yunho had told her to talk casually several times, but since she thought she would never get used to it, Ahjoong always refused every time. But if he said it that strongly, she couldn’t refuse. It's not even easy to talk to him in the first place.

Yunho smiled after saying such intimidating words. _“If it weren't for that good-looking face, I'd just ignore it and kick him out,”_ Ahjoong complained. Yunho has been fiddling with Jaejoong's childhood photo, trying to hide it somewhere to steal it. Ahjoong didn’t realize that, so she just thought Yunho was acting a bit weird. She lost the timing to ask, no matter how cute the picture is, why would he be so interested in the picture?

“You can speak casually now.”

“Ah…. Yes… Huh? Yeah.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes! You can ask― do it.”

She almost spoke formally again, but as Yunho's eyebrows wriggled, Ahjoong hastily cut her words and made a strange ending. Anyway, she was wondering what Yunho was trying to ask, so she looked into his eyes. As long as the question is not “What do you think of me?” she would answer happily.

“Do you know…. YunJae?”

“What was it again? Uh. What’d you say?”

“I’m talking about YunJae. YunJae-Making.”

“.…..”

She actually heard it as “What do you think of me?” Thinking _“Nah, no way,”_ and that she probably heard wrong, she asked him again only to hear that the words that he said had nothing to do with that. It wasn’t related to that? The words that flew out of Yunho’s mouth was beyond her imagination. She couldn’t get herself together. Ahjoong couldn't answer and only blinked. _“Yu- what? YunJae? YunJae... Making? Y_ _u_ _n_ _j_ _ae_ _-Making_ _?”_

With Jaejoong's picture still held between his left index finger and middle finger, Yunho asked with his eyes facing Ahjoong. Apparently, the word “YunJae-Making” came from between those coveted and stylish lips. Maybe it's a dream.

“YunJae.....Making? No, but, U-Know- _nim_ , no― Yunho. How did you know about YunJae-Making?”

“Ah well. It was in my fancafe. It was on the internet. I was bored and was just browsing. I just thought that it might be related to me… Since you’re a KNOW YOU I thought you’d know about it.”

“Hooo….”

Her mouth opens with surprise. Yunho told her a shameless lie, feeling even more and more fun by teasing Ahjoong. After completing his investigation about YunJae, he began to ask the main character Ahjoong, and her reaction that she couldn't do anything was so funny.

Meanwhile, because YunJae popped out of Yunho's mouth, cold sweats trickled down Ahjoong’s back. How is she gonna explain this? Does he know that she’s one of the admins? If she explained it truthfully, he’d probably think they’re strange and then get annoyed… Unable to make a decision, Ahjoong bit her lower lip hard. Yunho was waiting for an answer with twinkling eyes. For the first time in her life, Ahjoong hated Yunho.

“Um, have you s-seen what it was about?”

“Nope. I haven’t checked it yet.”

“Ah…. I see….”

Yunho could see Jaejoong in Ahjoong’s embarrassed state and her constant stuttering. A smile spread on his lips. As expected, the same veins resemble each other. He felt bitter about his situation without any brothers or family, but he smiled again as he saw Ahjoong’s ridiculous expression. She's rolling her eyes around to find what excuse to make.

What would happen if she found out that he won’t get angry after knowing what YunJae is about? If she knew that Jaejoong and Yunho were already in love with each other before they even knew the existence of YunJae-Making? She might pass out in surprise like last time. What would happen if she found out that the couple whom she like to the point of making and running a cafe, is actually a real couple who were in love with each other? Yunho managed to hold back the words that was rising in his throat, about to confess, “Actually I’m dating Jaejoong.” It would be better to make the announcement a little later, at a time when she won't be surprised enough that she passed out.

“You don’t know? About YunJae-Making?”

“Uh, that….. It’s not like that, it’s just… Well, how do I explain this…”

“Was it that hard to say?”

“No, that’s not it. Anyway, I’ll tell you later. But I’d like you to hold back from checking it out by yourself for the time being. Okay…?”

“Well… Okay.”

_"Pfft."_ Yunho’s cheeks were slightly puffed up from trying to hold his laughter. Yunho quickly drained the air so that Ahjoong wouldn’t notice. He then coughed and regained his poker face. Unlike the relaxed Yunho, Ahjoong was dying of anxiety. She came up with such an idiotic proposition. Even though Yunho agreed, he’d definitely be even more curious at her weird answer and there’s no way he wouldn’t try to find out on his own. If he goes to the cafe, he’ll soon find out that Ahjoong is one of the admins. And then he’ll get shocked over the fact that the woman he liked was a strange woman who ships him with her younger brother… Nooooo…. Why is it keep getting twisted and twisted?

She had to draw a line clearly to make Yunho close his heart to her as soon as possible, but it wasn’t easy for Ahjoong to do so. How do you even stop it? It’s not easy for someone to like someone else, of course it wasn’t easy to end the feelings either. Yunho opened his mouth as Ahjoong fell into a deeper thought.

“Actually, the reason why I wanted to see you today…”

_“Hm? It wasn’t to talk about_ _YunJae-Making_ _? Or was it to see the face of the woman_ _whom_ _he loved…? Yeah, sure. If he was so curious, he wouldn’t have to come all the way here to ask when he could just check it on the internet. Then the reason was really to see me…? I don’t actually hate that._ ” Ahjoong looked up at Yunho with a look full of anxiety. His eyes bent attractively.

“I was wondering if your parents might want Jaejoong to be independent.”

“.…Eh?”

“It's inconvenient to go to school by transportation. As you know, when I'm not busy after the promotion, I take him to his campus by my car. And at Jaejoong's age, he's old enough to experience independent life.”

“Y-yeah, so. The thing you’re trying to say….”

“Ah, do I have to say it straightforwardly?”

“No, I mean that is―”

“I'm thinking of living together with him. Since you’re a KNOW YOU, you’d know that I live alone in that big apartment. Jaejoongie and I are now close, and we won't have any problems living together. It will help both me and Jaejoongie. Well, I'm not saying that we should do it right now. It's just a plan for now, so if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you could be on my side and tell your parents instead.”

“.………”

_“What is he talking about?”_ Ahjoong was busy opening her eyes wide and staring into Yunho's face, sorting out what she had just heard. _“So. Why do you keep surprising me with a series of hits? Starting with “Do you know_ _YunJae-Making_ _?” to “I want to live together with Jaejoong.” No, but this Jung Yunho is not like the Jung Yunho in my mind. He likes to be alone, so he purposefully live alone in a big apartment without his manager. That was how U-Know say it in talk shows.”_

“Um… U-Know.. I mean, Yunho- _yah_.”

“Yes?”

“That living together things was one thing…. But can I ask you something?”

“Yes, go on.”

“Do you have… someone that you like?”

It was a sudden question. If he reflexively answer with “Of course!” then he definitely would’ve shouted, but Yunho was hesitating. He couldn’t reveal that right now. Ahjoong would get surprised again if she knows now. Yunho thought for a moment about what to say and eventually nodded slightly.

“Yes, I do. I don’t know if it’s okay to say this to a KNOW YOU… But, they’re not a celebrity, so you don’t have to worry.”

Yunho might be embarrassed by the random question, but it’s amazing that he could just calmly answers it. But no matter how much she thought about it, it was strange. The person he liked asked him if he has a crush on someone, but she couldn't believe there was not a shred of movement. _“There’s no way… that it was me… right?”_ Since he said she wasn’t a celebrity, of course he was narrowing the list by a huge margin. In terms of U-Know’s human relations, that is.

Ahjoong was spinning her mind on her own, not even getting tired of it. Shocking events had been happening so relentlessly that her thoughts became more crude and complicated. _“Should I try finding out who the one he like is? I’m sure it’s me anyway so I don’t actually have to do that….”_

Soon after, Yunho left the place and Ahjoong was left alone at home. It was hard to see him off properly because she was busy arranging her hectic mind. Ahjoong was still lost in thoughts, biting her nails. _“Let's start arranging_ _everything_ _from the beginning… Now, U-Know is curious about_ _YunJae-Making_ _, and in the worst case scenario, he will access the internet as soon as he arrives at his house. And one of Yunho's remarks... He wants to live with Jaejoong. So he asked me to be on his side…. Live together… Live…. together…?? He wants to live together?”_

Ahjoong suddenly sprang up from the sofa. She wasn't thinking about it properly before because her mind was in a chaos. Now that she’s quietly thinking by herself, Yunho was saying that he would live with Jaejoong. _“S-so…. Cohabitation?! Oh my GOD!”_ Without thinking more, Ahjoong hastily picked up her cell phone and pressed the speed dial key.

“Hello? Hello?? _Eonni_? _Eonni_?? Uwaaaaaaaaahhh…. Oh god what should I do?? Godgodgodgodgodd!!! I don’t knoooww. _Eonniiii…_ I don’t know, Jung Yunho said he’s gonna live with Jaejoong… Yes!! Living together!!! Huh?? Ah, of course. I heard it from J-Jaejoong…”

She still have to keep that one to herself.

* * *

Jaejoong was sitting in front of the piano as usual. He had practiced whenever he had time, so the piece he played sounds smoother. Now that he could memorize it, Jaejoong was moving his fingers without even opening the music sheet. The hands that sometimes he thought looked ugly, look pretty when he plays the piano. Jaejoong played with a thin smile on his face.

Although it’s not a professional and wonderful piece like Chopin and Liszt, Yunho wil definitely like Jaejoong's performance. When he played the piece again after a long time, he thought of something. Who did he want to play this song to? Of course, now that the answer is clear, the question was unnecessary. All he has to do now was play it to him.

After the memory of that day, Jaejoong laughed as he recalled what had happened last night. Before going to bed, Yunho sang for Jaejoong, unable to refuse his pestering of asking him to sing on the phone. “You're a dance singer, but why are you so good at singing ballads?” Jaejoong was madly moved by the sound of the song, which was so sweet that he almost cried. His gorgeous Yunho sang for him on the moon night, so in return, Jaejoong had to make a more beautiful melody.

It was an easy five-page piece, but for Jaejoong, who taught himself alone, this performance was satisfactory. Jaejoong struck out the last finishing note of the piece, thinking, “Since Yunho's house doesn't have a piano, should I bring him over when no one is home?” When he lowered the sheet music book on the piano to check if he hit the notes correctly, he heard a phone ringing from behind. Scratching the back of his head, Jaejoong rose from his seat and approached the phone, lifting it up.

< “IsthisKimJaejoong?IfSoThenTakeTheCallOrDidYouNotRecognizeMyVoice?” >

And then the sound music... This is a collect call, that should be paid by the receiver. Because of the fast-worded voice that finished in a few short seconds, Jaejoong who was not in his right mind, frowned and pressed the call button. This is definitely that bastard Kang Jungwoo.

“Hello?”

< “Oi.” >

“Who is this?”

< “….Heeey, don’t joke around, asshole. You doing well?” >

“Pffft. What was that earlier? So hecking funny I almost throw this away!”

< “Ahh, that's just the new way to exploit the collect call these days.” >

_“How stupid. You must’ve copied that from the CF that came out before you joined the army.”_ Anyway, Jaejoong seemed to be really excited because of the welcomed voice. “What did you do there? Is your military life tolerable? Are you eating properly?” Jaejoong began to ask a series questions in a curious voice. It's been almost three months since Jungwoo joined the army, but since they didn’t get to contact each other, he must have a lot of questions. _“If there wasn’t Yunho, I would have written a letter once a week. Sorry, my friend. Hehe.”_

Jungwoo was annoyed since he didn’t send a single letter. At that, Jaejoong refuted by saying, “You should’ve sent it first so I could know the address!”

Jungwoo was a little bit hesitant at first, but then he started making excuses with adding swear words here and there. <“You don’t know the address? This bastard, you have no idea?”> At the playful words, Jaejoong burst out into a laughter. <“You should have visited even if you have to stay the night outside, but no one came to visit except for my mom once. Mean bastard.”> Jaejoong had to take the phone off his ear for a while at the sarcastic bomb.

< “Oh, well. You’re still good with that U-Know?” >

“Huh? Yunho? Ah.. yeah.”

< “I was really dumbfounded. We met all of a sudden right before joining the army. Wasn’t I really still out of it for a while when I arrived at the training camp? Like fuck how was he so handsome? Was he really human? No one is near me so I can't help but swear... I shouldn't do this. I just asked the private first class in my unit and he said his younger sister is a hardcore fan. Then we got along and talked about him like crazy. I told him I’ve talked to U-Know and I've been in his car. Oh, I didn't talk about you, so you don't have to worry.” >

Forgetting about the call bill, Jaejoong who was chatting excitedly with Jungwoo, heard his cell phone ringing from his room. He said, “Wait for a bit,” put down the phone and headed to his room. At that time, Ahjoong, who came out of her room to wash, approached the phone that looked like it was in the middle of a call on the table. _“I think it's Jungwoo since I saw Kim Jaejoong talking earlier…”_ Ahjoong picked up the phone to hear the voice.

< “Hello? Ah, so I played soccer in that cold―….. Hello?” >

“Ah…. Is this Jungwoo? You’re Jungwoo right?”

< “…Ah, Ahjoong- _nunim_?” >

“Yep! Are you doing well?”

< “Wow… I didn’t even expect to be able to hear _Nuna_ ’s voice. Thank you, _Nuna_!!” >

_“What’s with the thanks? Just how much do you like me that you keep thanking me every time I picked up your call? Why am I receiving so much love?”_ Falling into a ridiculous illusion again, Ahjoong had to hear Jungwoo’s song of thanks. _“Cute little fellow.”_

“Okay~ Oh, Jaejoong is here. Yeah, you’re eating well, but you should eat even better. Really? We can meet next week, then. _Nuna_ misses you, you brat.”

Ahjoong, who handed the phone to Jaejoong after greeting Jungwoo, headed to the bathroom with a big smile on her mouth. She felt sorry towards Yunho, but she wished Jungwoo, who’s becoming a man, could take Jaejoong with him and have him worry about his meal. He surely will become a grown-up man if he goes to the military, right? Ahjoong kept thinking about Jungwoo’s talk about his 100th day vacation with subtle expectation.

* * *

Today is finally the day when Jungwoo comes out on his 100th day vacation for 4 nights and 5 days. Jaejoong, who arrived at the station with Yunho to pick Jungwoo up (actually even if Jungwoo didn’t beg him to, he’d come with Yunho anyway), checked the time and looked at Yunho's car in the parking lot outside the station. The train must have arrived, as the station became noisy and people began to rush out. Among them, finding Jungwoo was not that difficult. There aren't that many people who are that tall that their head stuck out.

“Kang Jungwoo!!”

“Oooh Kim Jaejoong~” You got prettier, eh?”

“Wanna fight?”

“Heheheheh―”

He was so happy he couldn't stop his laugh. “Where’s U-Know- _nim_?”

“When you were on the phone, you kept going “U-Know that guy is this and that” but why are you suddenly calling him U-Know- _nim_ now?” Jaejoong criticized him.

“He’s near now so I’m scared…” Jaejoong laughed at the answer.

_“Right now who’s standing next to me is my friend who I felt bad for as I had forgotten him for a while. The man a few steps away on the front is the man I love who’s filling my head 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”_ In an indescribable sense of happiness, Jaejoong breathed a contradictory sigh.


	33. YJ Project - Chapter 33.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What is this guy saying?”

“Ah… I’m nervous.”

“Pretend that you’re close to him as soon as we meet him.”

“Bingo~”

Jungwoo kept hitting Jaejoong, excited about who knows what. When they reached the car Yunho was in, Jaejoong was about to open the door of the car, but Jungwoo grabbed his arm. “Ah, why?” he asked, and Jungwoo said he needed to take a breath first. On their first sudden meeting, they got close right away, so why is he doing this again? In the end, Jaejoong scolded him, “Just get in the back quick,” and got on the passenger’s seat. _“The friend I met after 3 months told me to ride alone in the back seat, and you get to sit next to U-Know? You cheap bastard!!”_

Jungwoo, who was so nervous before entering the car that he even considered running away, greeted Yunho excitedly as soon as he got on the backseat.

“Hi Yunho!!”

“Ah, it’s been a while.”

“I miss you more than Kim Jaejoong, the cool U-Know- _nim_. Kyahaha.”

Yunho laughed at Jungwoo's words and Jaejoong turned his head to glare at him. Just how great his social ability was that he was treating Yunho like a friend of several years long after meeting only once a few months ago? When he finished greeting Yunho, he started to talk loudly with excitement.

Just for the reason that he was a friend of Jaejoong, Yunho had a good feeling towards Jungwoo, so he smiled and answered happily to whatever he said. In fact, he couldn't help but laugh at every word Jungwoo said because of the comical tone and voice.

“―Yeah, no matter how many times I insisted that I know U-Know, no one believed me! Damn, and the veteran said, if you really know U-Know, then get his autograph. With his younger sister’s name. So that’s why, Yunho please give me a sign later.”

“Heheh.. Okay okay.”

“Ah do you know I’m in the same period with a KNOW YOU? A male fan… I heard his stories and they’re no joke. He remembered the lyrics of all songs from the 1st until the 3rd album.”

“Yunho have a lot of male fans~! Although those people likes almost all of his songs…”

“Ah, that’s right. That guy’s also crazy about U-Know’s songs. But he also look up to you. Heheheh. Even in a guy’s eyes you look cool.”

Jaejoong, who got interested at the word "male fan," opened his eyes wider at last next word. _“This is dangerous. Yunho is mine.”_ Yunho, who was driving, looked at Jaejoong, who was biting the tip of his fingers with a frown. Yunho then chuckled. “What? Why are you laughing?!” As Jaejoong got angry, Yunho slightly pushed Jaejoong's frowned forehead with his fingers. He then lightly said,

“What are you thinking of?”

“Wondering about how cool you are, seen from other men’s eyes besides me.”

“It’s about the same as it’s from yours, tho.”

“Hm… I can’t tell.”

“What is this~ Your conversation is very suspicious~”

Everyone laughed when Jungwoo said something playful while poking his face between Yunho and Jaejoong, who were talking quietly. After playing around and talking with each other, the subject of the story changed to where to go. Jungwoo borrowed Jaejoong’s phone, telling his family that he’ll come home tomorrow. But today, he’s gonna play with his friends, thinking about having fun.

However, no matter how hard they thought about it, there was no place to go. The reason was because of Yunho. Their choices were limited because he was a public figure whose face was known to the whole world. Then, Yunho suggested that he goes home so the two could have fun all they want together, but Jungwoo insistently disagreed. Eventually, the only places to choose left were Yunho’s or Jaejoong's house. However, Jaejoong’s house was removed from the choice because Ahjoong was there, so Yunho's house was the only place to go.

Yunho and Jaejoong’s reaction was that of a “It can’t be helped”, but Jungwoo, contrary to them, was very excited. “How would the house of the famous U-Know who makes good money look like? You said Gangnam, but I've never meet anyone who lives in Gangnam before. How many m2 is the house? When I go back to the military unit, I'll brag that I've been to your home. I suddenly feel depressed thinking about going back in...” At Jungwoo, who was so loud and excited by himself, Yunho kept laughing under his breath and Jaejoong was annoyed, telling Jungwoo to be quiet.

On the way there, they stopped by a mart to buy things to drink and eat, and then they arrived at Yunho's apartment. After parking, Yunho and Jaejoong got off first and took out the luggage in the trunk, and after that, Jungwoo got off the car. As he’s going to have a lot of trouble in the army, they can't make him work on vacation, so Yunho and Jaejoong brought all the large bags (Yunho bringing the bottles and fruits, Jaejoong bringing the snacks...). Jungwoo grinned and got out of the car empty-handed. The two climbed into the elevator first, followed by Jungwoo.

Then *****snap***** ―The strange tiny sound made Jungwoo turn his head quickly. Then the elevator door closed. Thinking that he probably just misheard it, Jungwoo tilted his head. The elevator, which seemed to proof that it was a good apartment, quickly allowed them to arrive at Yunho's flat. They got off the elevator, went to the front door of Yunho’s flat, opened the front door and went inside.

....He expected it, but he thinks Jungwoo was overreacting. As soon as Jungwoo entered the flat, he dance crazily to the “Ooh oh ooh oh” song he sang, and opening and closing the doors here and there. It was driving him crazy. Jaejoong, who couldn't stand it, dragged him and scolded him, telling him to staying still. He was dragged by Jaejoong and was seated on the sofa, but he still turned his eyes around, to look around the house. Jaejoong then hit Jungwoo’s head, who was too absorbed in his sightseeing.

“Why are you like this? Aren’t you embarrassed?” 

“Why?!! Aren’t you amazed then? Yunho! You really live here alone?! Wow this is amazing... How many rooms are there? Can’t I just live here?” 

“This punk..... You’re acting like someone from a countryside. Are you really from Seoul?

Looking at the irritated Jaejoong, Yunho smiled without saying a word. The frog was unable to think of its tadpole days. He remembered how Jaejoong was when he first came to his house. Jaejoong wasn't as excited as Jungwoo at the time, but he was busy looking around from place to place. Now that he basically lives here, he didn't even think about his past and was giving Jungwoo a scolding.

Yunho almost answered “Nope you can’t,” at Jungwoo’s playful request about living in his house. _“I'm going to live with Jaejoong,_ _and_ _you_ _ca_ _n't join_ _,_ _”_ he thought seriously.

They were gonna drink, so Jaejoong rolled up his sleeves, digging the fridge and cupboards because it was time for a meal. Jaejoong looked like a housewife, wearing an apron around him like he was used to it, and opening the rice cooker lid. Jungwoo twisted his lips at the awkward scene.

“Eeh.... Yunho, does Kim Jaejoong usually go to the kitchen so naturally?”

“Jaejoongie? The kitchen is basically his room.”

“What? When you’re with me, even though I begged you, you’d still think twice about showing off your cooking skills. Mean bastard. Are you a cook at Yunho's house?”

“You think you’re the same as Yunho?!”

They could hear Jaejoong screaming from the kitchen as if he had heard their conversation. He has good ears.

“No, but what’s so different between me and Yunho?”

“You’re different right from the face. Right from the face~”

Jaejoong scarily peeked out his face from the kitchen with a knife on his hand. Jungwoo frowned and glared as Jaejoong quickly went back into the kitchen. He couldn't believe Jaejoong came out just to compare their faces. _“Kim Jaejoong_ _you ass_ _. Just put the_ _food_ _on the table. I'll turn the table upside down_ _saying_ _it's not tasty. ...”_

His resolution broke down. No, but what's with this big feast? Jungwoo’s jaw dropped at the table full of food. Yunho brought three pairs of spoon and chopsticks with no change in his expression, as if this was something normal. Jaejoong said, "Kang Jungwoo, you can only eat a little," but he filled the bowl full with rice. He knew that Jaejoong was good at cooking, but he was surprised because it was the first time for him to show his skills in front of Jungwoo.

Jaejoong brought out the side dishes that he made whenever he had time, every time he comes to Yunho’s house. He only cooked simple side dishes such as rolled omelet and others, and the main dish was only a boiled stew, but Jungwoo was already in love with the food. With a moved expression and holding a spoon, he looked at the table. Probably he’ll need more after emptying the bowl.

As soon as they started eating, Jungwoo passionately used the spoon. “Are you starving in the army...? Just eat slowly. No one’s taking your food away,” Jaejoong said carefully.

“This is a habit. In the army, you eat rice like you’re drinking it. What I’m doing now is considered very slow,” Jungwoo replied.

Both Yunho and Jaejoong have no experience in the military, so they just nodded in understanding and warned him not to talk while eating. Jungwoo used the spoon until it was never seen again.

He said it was his duty to eat until he’s tired of it while he’s on vacation. He definitely said that to rationalize him finishing up three bowls, so they all laughed to their heart’s content. Even if they didn't go outside, they looked for things to play with. As they spent hours playing Go-Stop, and spent hours watching the DVD Yunho borrowed, it quickly became night. “It’s not even 1/5 but 1/4 of my precious vacation passed like this...”

Jaejoong threw a cold can of beer at Jungwoo. “At times like this you should be saying “It’s only been that short?” and think of it as a good thing you brat~” He tried to comfort Jungwoo.

Jaejoong made the rolled omelet that they had for lunch before again and put it out. He took out some apples he bought earlier, sat down and started peeling them. In order to have a drinking party in earnest, Yunho swept all the drinks and set them up in the living room. Jungwoo smiled, feeling happily to see alcohol again.

It's been a while since he last drank, so Jungwoo kept drinking. Yunho and Jaejoong tried not to get drunk as much as possible. If both of them get drunk, they didn’t know what kind of things they would show even with Jungwoo in front of them. They could show him a kiss scene like what they used to do.

Who was it who began to take the prejudice that women were talkative and men were taciturn? When Jungwoo and Jaejoong were together, such prejudice seemed to have been blown far away. While Yunho just listened to their chatter and chuckled or added a "Yup" here and there, Jungwoo and Jaejoong wouldn't keep their mouths shut for a moment. Jaejoong's cheeks seem to be slowly getting flushed, so Yunho was anxious that he would talk about their relationship.

After a while, Yunho and Jungwoo, who don't get drunk easily, poured in the liquor they bought as if they were determined to finish everything, while Jaejoong is already in a state of limbo. Jungwoo, who had no one to chat with, pointed to Yunho in a bored manner, and the two, quickly got through a conversation with Jaejoong being their common interest. As he listened to Jaejoong's story in high school, Yunho listened to Jungwoo's words with interest, and the speaker moved his mouth excitedly. He even talked about how much he likes Jaejoong's older sister, Ahjoong. Yunho said that they suit each other, giving him awkward words of encouragement.

Jungwoo’s tongue, which was excitedly praising Ahjoong, began to grow twisted. Yunho heard the word “Ahjoong- _nunim_ ” slowly changed into “Ajong- _hyung_ ”. It doesn't take long before Jungwoo followed Jaejoong and collapsed on the floor. His alcohol tolerance was high, but he also didn’t drink as much compared to Jungwoo, so Yunho was relatively sober. For some reason, it was annoying to clean up the mess, so Yunho just pushed the trash and plates to the corner, and approached Jaejoong. Then, he picked him up and laid him on the sofa. He felt bad for Jungwoo, but since Jaejoong is his lover, he had to take care of him first.

Still, he felt a little sorry, so he gave Jungwoo a cushion. Yunho sat under the sofa where Jaejoong was lying. He was staring at Jaejoong’s sleeping face when the other’s eyes blinked open. “Oh,” he let out a sound of surprise. Jaejoong smiled and spread his arms, asking for a hug. _“This guy wags his tail even when he's drunk.”_ Yunho smiled slightly and hugged Jaejoong tightly. He was gonna pat his back for a bit before letting him lay back, but the other had no thought of releasing him.

“Jaejoong- _ah_. You need to sleep.”

“Uhmmm.... Together....”

“How can we sleep together on the sofa?”

“Ah noooo....”

“Hufft...”

Why is he so strong when he’s drunk? In the end, Yunho let Jaejoong hug him as he did because he seemed to have no intention of letting him go before he lay down together with him. He got up just like that, and wrapped Jaejoong’s legs around his body, so he won’t fall. The pose was just like that day when Jaejoong jumped onto him from the bed and clung to him like a koala. He felt like he was hugging a baby. Yunho was worried if he was becoming a pervert because of the brat.

Yunho, held Jaejoong in his arms and headed towards the bedroom. He struggled to take the blanket with his foot, and laid Jaejoong down―which means, they laid down together. Only after he laid in Yunho’s arms and Yunho stroking his head did Jaejoong loosened his arm, which was holding onto Yunho. And then he looked up at Yunho with his burdensomely huge eyes. His eyes showed that he was in-between drunk and sober.

“Hiiii...”

“.....”

“Handsome Yunhooo...”

“.....Hey,”

“Thank you.... for... loving me...”

“.......”

*****chup***** Their lips met. _“_ _Really. The fact that you're acting so lovely to me is making me so happy. Who could even endure from loving you?_ _”_

The next day came and Jaejoong, who got up the earliest, was making cold bean sprout soup for Jungwoo, Yunho, and himself. _“_ _If you_ _’_ _re talking about bean sprout soup, of course it_ _’_ _s Kim Jaejoong. Tasting the prideful boiling soup... Kyah~ this is art._ _”_ Jaejoong turned off the stove and went into the bedroom, patting Yunho to wake him up. Yunho woke up and stretched his body. Jaejoong pecked his cheek. He told him to wash up quickly and eat breakfast, before leaving the room. Jaejoong went to the living room, approaching Jungwoo, who was pitifully sleeping alone in the middle of the living room, and nudged his waist with his foot.

“Hey, wake up. This sleepyasshead it’s 10 in the morning! Your precious four nights and five days are passing as you sleep.”

He didn't budge when Jaejoong told him to stand up with his foot, but when he brought up the four nights and five days, he suddenly stood up. His hair was short so he doesn’t have outrageous bedhead, as he looked the same as he was yesterday. So there was a merit from having short hair. Yunho was washing in the bathroom attached to his bedroom, so Jungwoo could take over the bathroom in the living room.

After washing up, Yunho and Jungwoo sat down at the table, and there was a slightly awkward air. Usually it was only Yunho and Jaejoong on the table. On the case like yesterday, everyone was all hyped but eating breakfast together like this gave a different feel. It felt like there was an uninvited guest. _“_ _I_ _’_ _m sorry, Jungwoo-_ yah _._ _”_ Jaejoong nibbled at the rice grains, feeling extremely sorry at Jungwoo, who was still not in his right mind and had finished his soup, raising his thumb at Jaejoong for the awesome soup.

Unlike Yunho and Jaejoong, who ate their breakfast leisurely, Jungwoo stood up from the table, saying, “I finished it like I was drinking and I ate well.”

 _“No,_ _but_ _did you_ _just_ _read_ _my mind?_ _”_ Jaejoong anxiously asked, “Why are you standing up already?” and Jungwoo just laughed. He said he’s gonna meet Ahjoong- _nunim_. _“_ _I worried for nothing._ _”_

Jungwoo chuckled, “Okay I’m leaving soon!” and made a hand gesture. He excitedly greeted Yunho and left the house.

He was almost flying. Upon arriving at Ahjoong's house in a flash, Jungwoo rang the bell. Knowing that Jungwoo was the one who rang the doorbell on the intercom, Ahjoong quickly opened the door. It was nice to see Jaejoong's house after a long time. It was nice to see Ahjoong’s face after a long time. Jungwoo was so moved that his mouth was about to tear.

“Yeaaa~ You came back alive, huh?”

“Loyalty! Private Kang! Jung! Woo! I’m here for my 100th day vacation!! Hello, Ahjoong- _nunim_!”

“Oooh hey~ your ears are red~”

Ahjoong’s face was bright as she smiled and hit Jungwoo on the shoulder. Jungwoo originally had a nice back, but she nodded satisfiedly at Jungwoo's body, which seemed to have gotten better. Not knowing the reason for the nod the wicked smile, Jungwoo wondered with a slight smile. Gesturing that it was nothing with a wave of her hand, Ahjoong let him come inside.

“You said you came out yesterday and Jaejoong picked you up. Were you with him yesterday?”

“Yes. With Jaejoong and Yun....”

“Yunho?”

“Ah, Yes?!!”

Jungwoo, who almost talked about Yunho on the spur of the moment, rubbed his chest in surprise and stopped his words, only for Ahjoong to continue his words. He remembered Jaejoong saying it was a secret from her. He scratched his chin. _“Did your sister_ _caught you_ _while I was in the army?”_

“ _Nuna_ , you knew it too? That Jaejoong and him...”

“Of course~ Wow... So the three of you played together?”

“Ah.... Yes. I slept at Yunho’s house.”

“Wow! Amazing!! How is his house? Is it good?”

“Yes. Well....”

He had known for a long time that Ahjoong was a KNOW YOU, but he was still jealous because she expressed her interest in U-Know in front of him. Yunho, who was with him all day from yesterday to this morning, was really cool even to Jungwoo, who is a man. Sure, Ahjoong liked him that much, but.... “Jung Yunho this Jung Yunho that” actually annoyed him.

“Is Yunho and Jaejoong really close?”

“Yeah. It’s no joke. He totally ignored his friend whom he hasn’t seen for months and kept giggling together. I’d thought they were dating. Saying things like so handsome this and that. Blerghh.”

“Oh really?.... Ah, then.... Did Yunho say anything about me?”

“About _Nuna_?”

“Yep.”

“.....No, he didn’t..”

“Ah, I see.....”

_“Oh, I'm getting angry._ _I_ _can't help_ _it_ _if you like him_ _as a fan_ _, but_ _isn't this just the way_ _I see it?_ _”_ He was on the same position as Yunho, both being friends of Jaejoong. And there’s now way Yunho would be able to refrain from looking at this pretty and perfect Ahjoong- _nunim_ (according to Jungwoo). Anyway, since Yunho never brought up about Ahjoong, Jungwoo felt better. When she heard about the relationship between Yunho and Jaejoong, her eyes were sparkling, but when she heard that Yunho has never talked about her, she was just calm. It seemed a little strange, but Jungwoo still couldn’t get rid of his jealousy anyway.

Ahjoong thought Jungwoo would be offended because she talked about Yunho too much, so she changed the subject and began to listen to Jungwoo's life in the military. Jungwoo was excited to talk to her when she listened to him so curiously, but all the stories were interesting because they were about U-Know's male fan who was on the same period as him, so he got annoyed again. _“_ _Shit! This is all because of Kim Jaejoong! Yeah, why does he have to meet a guy like Jung Yunho?!_ _”_

While he was trying to not talk about U-Know as much as possible, he heard a sound from front door. When Ahjoong got up and stretched out her neck towards the front door, she saw unexpected people. It was Yunho and Jaejoong. She had her eyes wide open as she was surprised, and the people who came in were mirroring her action.

“Oh....”

“Oh. _Nuna,_ you’re not meeting Jungwoo?”

“Huh? I met him, tho?”

“Hello, _Nuna_.”

“Ah.... Yeah. Hi, Yunho- _yah_...”

“Huh?? When did you two get so close?”

Hearing the commotion, Jungwoo also got up from the sofa and went to the front door. Then, Jaejoong let out a sound of surprise, pointing at Jungwoo with his finger. “We came here to play at home because we thought you two were out," said Jaejoong, frowning. Jungwoo was already slightly angry because of Yunho, but his appearance made him even more upset. And on top of that, he even greeted her sentimentally (No, but then what’s a non-sentimental greeting...)

When the four of them gathered together, each of them gave a dejected smile. Jaejoong was irritated, thinking, _“Do I have to see Kang Jungwoo's boring face again?_ _If I knew this would happen, I'd just stay at Yunho's house_ _..._ _.”_ He regretted inwardly. On the other hand, Ahjoong felt burdened by Yunho's smile and constant glancing at her. _“_ _No, but w_ _here did you learn to_ _make that face_ _?”_ Ahjoong felt unfamiliar with the smile Yunho was giving, too used to the business smile he always put on when he was on the TV. _“_ _No, but_ _I_ _understand that you like me_ _, but can't you just make it_ _less_ _obvious?”_

Jaejoong briefly dragged Jungwoo into his room, trying to convince him to quickly take his sister outside. And so, only Ahjoong and Yunho were left in the living room. Ahjoong nervously bit her fingernails. _“_ _Ah, what should I do? What should I do? Should I nail it down and end it? Actually, I like Jungwoo_ _more_ _, but... No, that's not the problem. Yunho is Jaejoong's husband... Okay, I made up my mind._ _”_

“Yunho- _yah_.”

“Yes?”

“By any chance... Do you have.... something to say to me?”

“......Something to say?”

What came to Yunho's mind when he heard the question from Ahjoong was his relationship with Jaejoong, and nothing else. Yeah, there was no way a YunJae-Making admin wouldn't have noticed his relationship with Jaejoong. And also, they were too close to each other to be friends.

“I... already know everything. It’s okay. Just say it, Yunho- _yah_.”

“.....You knew...? I actually thought you didn’t.”

“Actually, I’ve noticed it since the beginning.”

The tension filled Ahjoong's hands with sweat. Rubbing her palms against the pants she was wearing and waiting for Yunho's answer, Ahjoong nervously bit her lower lip. _“When you confess,_ _I_ _have to be firm. I'm just your fan. I don't see_ _you_ _as a man.”_

“......You’re right. Jaejoongie and I. Actually I already know the thing about YunJae-Making, that’s why I asked about that last time.”

“..................Huh?”

_“_ _What is this guy saying?_ _”_


	34. YJ Project - Chapter 34.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘That’s why, you dumbass. Take her out quick. She's already dressed up to go out with you. How dense are you, huh? You can’t tell just by looking at Kim Ahjoong’s face? She’s totally saying “I wanna go out right now.”’

_‘_ _...That_ _’_ _s right. Yes, I like you,_ Nuna _. Can you.... accept my feelings?_ _’_

....Yeah. It was that. The words Ahjoong was prepared to hear. _“_ _But no, what is this guy saying? You and Jaejoong are what? And why is YunJae-Making appearing again?_ _”_ Ahjoong frowned, trying to understand Yunho's words. She couldn't find an answer, so she tried to ask again, but Jaejoong and Jungwoo came back. As soon as they left the room, she saw Jungwoo running towards her, making a fuss.

“ _Nuna~_ Can we go now? Kim Jaejoong and Yunho came here thinking that we weren’t here anyway.”

“H-huh?”

“I think you were already prepared to go out before I came here. Right? I’ll buy you something delicious.”

“Ah.... That, you―”

“Then I’ll go out first! Please get ready quick!”

“Jungwoo- _yah_! Hey!”

Ahjoong lost her mind, thanks to Jungwoo who was rushing towards the front door. He became so assertive all of a sudden and it doesn’t even suit him. Jaejoong who was already in the room, whenever it was that he came in, brought her handbag with him. Phone, wallet, make-up pouch, tissues, everything was already in there, and all she needs to do now was leave. “No, Jaejoong- _ah_ , that's not the problem right now―” She was trying to say something, but it was all buried in Jaejoong's push. She kept looking back to Yunho, reaching out her head, but thanks to Jaejoong's tremendous push to the front door, Ahjoong even wore her shoes.

“Okay! Go play well _Nuna~_ ”

“Jaejoong- _ah_ , right now I―”

“Hush! Jungwoo is waiting!”

“No, I need some kind of explanation from Yunho! Yunho- _yah_! Call me later! Okay?”

“Yes?”

“You know, about the thing you said― Aah―”

*****slam***** Ahjoong’s voice was cut as the front door closed. He thought something happened in an flash, but since it was too fast, Yunho couldn’t understand the situation properly. He tilted his head and stood up. As he walked towards the front door, he could see Ahjoong walking with Jungwoo, looking back repeatedly from the outside of the tightly closed glass door. He felt like he had to greet Jaejoong when their eyes met, so Yunho tried bow his head, but Jaejoong grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, cutting off the greeting.

Earlier, he spilled a little because Ahjoong said to tell her because she knew everything, but at her repeated question and surprise, Yunho also got surprised. And right away, Jungwoo came out and distracted him, so he couldn't think of anything. Now that they're gone and he’s alone with Jaejoong, the feeling about the seriousness of the situation came to him. _“_ _Don_ _’_ _t tell me... That wasn_ _’_ _t what she meant to hear?_ _”_ If that was true, then Yunho really did a _great_ job. No, it’s not “if”.... She definitely was unaware of that fact. If she knew and asked, then she would have understood Yunho's words. _“_ _Wait, how much did I say earlier?_ _”_

Suddenly in a panic, Yunho paused and rolled his eyes. _“_ _That_ _’_ _s right. Jaejoong_ _ie and I_ _._ _”_ And.... he also confessed to knowing about YunJae-Making. He needs to sort this out. _“_ _Knowing about YunJae-Making,_ _so that_ _it wouldn_ _’_ _t lead into that kind of talk._ _..._ _Saying it nicel_ _y..._ _I_ _nsisting nicely.... Ah. How did it came to this?_ _”_

It was the first time for Yunho to change his expressions so much, so Jaejoong stood in front of him and watched him with interest. He didn’t even ask why, finding it amusing. Then, Yunho frowned heavily, and met eyes with Jaejoong. Only then did he pretend to care.

“Ah, but seriously. When did you get close to my sis? Yunho- _yah~_ My sister? That’s interesting...”

_“_ _You find it amusing yet you crazily pushed her outside the house?_ _”_ Not relaxed enough to nag, Yunho waved his hand and moved to the sofa. When he fell down on the sofa, Jaejoong sat next to him.

“What the hell did the two of you talk about that she said she needed more to hear?” He glanced at Jaejoong, who asked him the question. His always so innocent face. Ah, as expected, he went too far.

“Kim Jaejoong.”

“Hm?”

“By any chance, did your sister usually get suspicious about us or anything like that?”

“Suspicious? Why?”

“Ah, well..”

“About us dating?”

“Ah... Yeah. That.”

“What are you saying~ Nah... Did my sister say that?”

“No. I was just wondering...”

As expected, he was exaggerating it all by himself. What Ahjoong was going to ask Yunho was something else. Yunho poked his head, his mind probably going somewhere else. What is he gonna do now? No matter if Ahjoong was on their side, letting her know right now wasn’t something that he intended to do. Yunho began to think about how to get out of Ahjoong’s radar... He tried... but with Jaejoong’s cat-like eyes staring at him, he couldn’t concentrate.

“Why why why is it~ Huh? Hm?” He couldn’t get rid of Jaejoong’s questioning, so he just smiled awkwardly. _“_ _To hell with it. I don_ _’_ _t know. I_ _’_ _ll just let it go._ _”_

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“If it’s nothing then can’t you tell me?”

“No.”

“....Tch. Okay then.”

Yunho let out a real laugh and decided to push the thought about Ahjoong away for a while. Because Ahjoong was currently with Jungwoo who probably was hesitating to say “I love you.” She probably would be too busy to think about this right now. Since Yunho won’t tell him, Jaejoong pouted in annoyance, and Yunho kept pecking his pouting lips.

Since Yunho gave him pecks, Jaejoong felt happy again, as he smiled and wrapped his arms around Yunho’s neck. Then he sits on the arms of the sofa.

 _“_ _There are a lot of seats next to_ _me_ _. Why do you like this place so much?_ _”_ Yunho was gonna say it as a joke, but he was actually worried about Jaejoong falling down, so he held Jaejoong’s waist without saying anything. After that, Yunho naturally leaned his face against Jaejoong’s chest and Jaejoong put his chin on top of Yunho's head.

Although Jaejoong’s chin was not as sharp as Yunho’s, but the sharp protruding chin weighs on the top of his head still hurts a little bit. But it was Jaejoong so he felt good enough. Yunho slowly closed his eyes, leaning his cheek against the warm embrace and hugging Jaejoong’s waist tighter. To be honest, he wasn’t all that worried about Ahjoong finding out. Since she wasn’t the one who’s going to separate them anyway, so it's not going to be a problem that she found out someday.

“Looks like your friend really likes your sister.”

“Jungwoo?”

“Yeah.”

“That guy. He’s been interested 100 times in _Nuna_ since high school. And since she hung out with him before he enlisted, he totally fell for her. He was super into her.”

“Hahah... He’s like me, huh?”

“What?”

“100 times interested since high school. Since he hung out with Kim Jaejoong, Jung Yunho totally fell for him.”

“Erghh what was thaat!!”

Jaejoong detached himself from Yunho, stared at him, and hit his shoulder, and giggled. “Why? It’s true tho.” Even if Yunho was answering seriously, it was embarrassing yet funny to Jaejoong. Giving a little kiss to Jaejoong’s chin, Yunho put the other down on the floor and stood from the sofa. He put his hand in Jaejoong's head, who was smiling widely to his eyes, ruffling it pleasantly, and headed towards the kitchen to drink water.

 _“_ _I_ _’_ _m damned. I like him too much. At this rate, if I have an overseas schedule, I might end up insisting on taking Jaejoong along._ _”_ The fact that he was away from him even just for a few seconds to drink water, has made him nervous until the tip of his hand. He took a quick one shot of the cold water and came back out to the living room. But he couldn’t see Jaejoong on the sofa. As he rotated his head and looked for Jaejoong, his eyes stopped while facing the corner of the living room. Was there always a piano in this house?

Jaejoong was sitting on the piano chair, both hands hovering the white and black keys, his fingers moving. He didn't press the keys, so it didn't make any noise. Yunho tilted his head once again, and then Jaejoong took his eyes off the keys to turn back, looking at Yunho. Yunho raised one eyebrow, wondering what Jaejoong was doing. Jaejoong put his hands together and made a timid gesture of clapping his index fingers together. Then he began to speak,

“Um, sit there on the sofa.”

“Why?”

“Eh, just do it~”

“.…..Well then.”

Yunho strode to the sofa and sat down. Jaejoong tried to put his fingers on the keys, his hands shaking. He turned to look at Yunho one last time, and wiped his sweaty hands on his clothes. After that, he put his fingers on the keys. _“Ah, I’m nervous.”_

Breathing deeply, Jaejoong began to play. The overall melody is not fast but beautiful, spread out by Jaejoong’s ten pale fingers. The intro went on smoothly, but as he was so nervous that his hands were sweating, his fingers slipped and he got a bit off note. It was a small error, so he hoped Yunho didn't notice. Jaejoong recalled the notes he had memorized again.

Yunho, who suddenly heard Jaejoong playing the piano, was staring at his back in a daze. Was Jaejoong always good at playing the piano? He thought he knew everything, but there were things he didn't know too. Yunho, who was briefly struck by minor shocks, soon listened carefully to the music Jaejoong played. The monotonous New Age... It was a common song, but why does it sound so sweet? Yunho raised himself from the sofa. Because the piano was attached to the wall on the other side, he could only see Jaejoong’s back and his arms moving from time to time. Yunho moved his feet, approaching Jaejoong. His eyes were on Jaejoong's white, slender fingers which was moving carefully. _“I'd like to kiss the tip of those hands right now. I feel happy because your music was dedicated_ _to_ _me.”_

Soon Jaejoong’s performance came to an end. He sighed out of nervousness and turned around. “How was it?” he asked Yunho, who in turn just hugged him. Jaejoong, who stood up from the piano chair with a big smile, came to Yunho, who was hugging him in an awkward position. Yunho hugged him so tightly that his body almost disappears in his arms. Jaejoong’s body which perfectly fits his arms is unbearably lovely. Yunho took Jaejoong’s face, which was buried in his arms, and put his lips closer to the other’s. And then he muttered,

“Thank you.”

“......”

Yunho's lips were on Jaejoong's. Jaejoong’s tiny tongue that came onto him is madly adorable. Sharing a deep kiss as if they were falling into the abyss, they stepped back little by little until they reach the sofa. Jaejoong was seated, and Yunho climbed on top of him and stole Jaejoong's sweet lips to the end. Their lips fell off at the end of the long deep kiss. As if he regretted it, Yunho's lips stayed on Jaejoong's chin again. _“_ _Isn_ _’_ _t he licking too much?_ _”_ Yunho treated Jaejoong's chin as if it was a candy.

“Am I a candy?”

“......You’re sweeter than that.”

“.....Jung Yunho you pervert.”

Unable stop stop himself from laughing, Yunho took his lips off Jaejoong's face. Then, he touched Jaejoong's cheek and began talking again,

“I suddenly wanna thank your parents.”

“Hm? Why?”

“For giving birth to a beardless man. Think of it if you’re like me. It’ll sting and I can’t eat you. If it was with a woman, I'd only taste cosmetics every time.”

“.....Urgh I feel like puking.”

Jaejoong's face was crunched up, as if he had imagined his face full with beard and make-up. Yunho who finds him cute again, pinched Jaejoong’s cheek lightly so it wouldn’t hurt. As if he had read Yunho’s mind, Jaejoong muttered, “Am I that cute?” Then he continued, “But actually that’s kinda funny. You can’t eat me because it’ll sting? Eat me? Jung Yunho, you think I’m something edible?” His forehead was popping veins. At that, Yunho apologized, “Sorry~ Sorry~”

 _“Something edible you say.... Just looking at you makes my mouth waters. I feel like I’m gonna break that slender waist of yours, whether I’m holding it in my hands or not. You’re like a sweet pocky stick.”_ Yunho smiled and kissed Jaejoong lightly around his eyes.

* * *

As Yunho expected, Ahjoong was having a lot of fun, deciding to put YunJae aside for a while, thanks to Jungwoo who kept her distracted. She didn’t know what Jungwoo and Jaejoong were talking about before, but his attitude changed. She knew that he was originally an active person, but he used to only show his timid side to Ahjoong. Now it seems like it was the other way around. He used to follow everything Ahjoong said, everywhere Ahjoong wanted to go, saying yes to everything, but now he was the one leading her.

From ‘ _N-Nuna..._ What should we do?’ to ‘ _Nuna_! Let’s go watch a movie!’ From ‘Do you.... want to eat something?’ to ‘ _Nunim_ ~ How about something luxurious?’ From ‘......’ to ‘The first two weeks was really hard, but I missed you the most anyway!’

_“_ _....Right. Even if the kid changed in just a few hours, he changed too much. Well, it_ _’_ _s not like I hate it. I like cute guys, but I like_ _confident_ _guys even more._ _”_

Ahjoong grew to like the sudden but satisfying change in Jungwoo. _“_ _No matter how I think, Kang Jungwoo is such a fine guy. 4 years younger... That doesn_ _’_ _t bother me at all._ _”_ Ahjoong nodded back and forth to herself, muttering, “Hm. Good.” Jungwoo thought she was talking to him, so he asked “Yes?” but Ahjoong just smiled and waved her hand in dismissal.

Actually, this was what Jaejoong said when he dragged Jungwoo into the room.

‘What the hell Kang Jungwoo are you an idiot? Why didn’t you go out?!! This is your chance to take her on a date, you foolish bear!’

‘Why? It’s cozier at home anyway.’

‘No but Yunho and I are here. You want all 4 of us to play together?’

‘Huh? No!!’

‘That’s why, you dumbass. Take her out quick. She's already dressed up to go out with you. How dense are you, huh? You can’t tell just by looking at Kim Ahjoong’s face? She’s totally saying “I wanna go out right now.”’

‘R-really?’

‘God. Also, _Nuna_ doesn’t like the shy kind of guy. She prefers assertive men. Keep that in mind. I’m on your side, you punk. Got it? Ah, to be honest, It’s a waste that Kang Jungwoo likes Kim Ahjoong. Why do you like those kind of girls anyway.’

Jungwoo was inwardly thanking Jaejoong for his rapid change in attitude which results in an achievement. That achievement is... When he asked her what she thinks of Yunho, she really emphasized that she’s just a KNOW YOU. Also, it was only for a short time, but Ahjoong put her arms around Jungwoo’s arm! _“_ _As expected from my only_ ― _If I say it like that I_ _’_ _d look pitiful, so I_ _’_ _d take that one out_ ― _my_ _bestfriend Kim Jaejoong! I love you so mucchh_ _!_ _”_ He even thought of kissing and hugging Jaejoong when he takes Ahjoong back to her home later. _“_ _Ahjoong-_ nunim _and I are linking our arms!_ _”_ He wanted to brag so much to the point of wanting to announce that all around the neighborhood.

As they watched a movie, ate, and walked around the streets, the sun was setting before they knew it. Jungwoo had to split up with Ahjoong because of the bus schedule he had reserved in advance to go home to the countryside. When he arrived in front of Ahjoong's house, he still had about half an hour left, excluding for the time he needed to go to the bus terminal. Ahjoong then told him to came inside for a bit, and Jungwoo excitedly followed her from behind.

The front door opened and Ahjoong entered first, followed by Jungwoo who also took a step to get in. Then, for a second, he felt something strange, so he pulled himself back and looked around the parking lot. Yunho's car was still parked there, so he hasn't gone yet. But then, he saw a man snooping around Yunho’s car. He frowned, looking at the man’s posture, but the man left after a moment. He thought that the man was just admiring the car. If it was him, he’d done the same thing. He thought that it was nothing, so he went into the house.

As expected, Yunho and Jaejoong were looking after the house. A delicious smell came from the kitchen. But Ahjoong and Jungwoo were already full after eating dinner and dessert, so they didn't go to the kitchen and just went straight to the living room. Poking his head out of the kitchen into the living room, Jaejoong asked, “Did you two have fun?” Yunho then also stuck his head out behind Jaejoong. As his eyes met with Ahjoong, Yunho flinched and went back to hide in the kitchen. When Ahjoong saw Yunho act like that, she remembered what had happened earlier. So, when Jaejoong asked them to eat together in the kitchen, Ahjoong stood up, but her wrist was grabbed by Jungwoo from behind.

“Huh?”

“ _Nuna_.”

“Ah, wait for a bit. I have something urgent to ask to that guy―”

“Wait. Try looking at the outside of the veranda from the kitchen, but don’t make it too obvious. Be careful. Don’t let them know you’re staring.”

“....Hm? What are you―”

“On the opposite building’s rooftop. Slowly...”

Jungwoo’s eyeballs were shaking. His face was hard to the point it couldn’t get any harder. Ahjoong frowned her forehead, thinking why Jungwoo was suddenly so serious. But Jungwoo who wasn’t playing around looked foreign to her. So, she nodded and casually went into the kitchen. Then, she turned her eyes subtly towards the direction Jungwoo was saying earlier. .... She glanced subtly, then she fully turned around and ran towards the veranda, forgetting Jungwoo’s warning about being subtle earlier. She caught her gaze to the rooftop of the 2-floored building on the opposite of the veranda. And, at the same time, the man who was holding a camera, whom Ahjoong and Jungwoo had clearly seen, disappeared.


	35. YJ Project - Chapter 35.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Jung Yunho. Are you dating Jaejoong?”

“ _Nuna._ ”

“......”

“ _Nuna, Nuna,_ hey Kim Ahjoong!”

“Huh? Ah...”

“What’s wrong? Who’s outside?”

Ahjoong had been keeping her eyes fixed on the place where someone had disappeared. Jaejoong had to call her several times before she came to her sense and turned around. In the middle of the living room, Jungwoo was biting his lower lip, while Jaejoong tilted his head as he looked at them back and forth. Yunho, who was sitting in a chair tapping on the table with his fingers, also stood up because he thought the atmosphere was strange.

“Ah. It was nothing. I just thought that it’d rain...”

“Eh~ I thought there was a big problem or something.”

“Hahah.......”

With a strange laugh, Ahjoong stepped out off the veranda. Before she left the kitchen, she took one last look at where the man was standing, and then she stood beside Jungwoo. She couldn’t calm down, not knowing what to do. However, the reliable Jungwoo was able to bring her into her room, patting her back.

Jungwoo, who came into Ahjoong’s room, also didn't understand what had happened. He could only watch as Ahjoong bit her lower lip, pacing around the room nervously. _“_ _What was that exactly? Was that guy secretly filming the inside of our house? For what reason? .......U-Know....?_ _”_

“Ahjoong- _nuna_.”

“......Jungwoo- _yah_.”

“Actually.... Before coming into the house, I saw a suspicious person.”

“Huh?”

“He was walking around Yunho’s car.”

“What? Why didn’t you say it earlier?”

“Because he wasn’t doing anything weird besides that... But now, I can’t help but think it's related.”

Ahjoong mumbled “God,” and slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. It must have been because of U-Know. She has a really bad feelings about this. Chewing on her nails, she was thinking about something, when suddenly she put her hand down and opened her eyes wide. Then, she ran out of the room before Jungwoo could catch her.

She was out of her mind. She couldn't remember that Yunho was in the kitchen, so she had to look around for a while. Her mind was in such a hurry that she couldn’t do anything but stomp her feet, and then Yunho came out of the kitchen. As soon as she saw Yunho, Ahjoong grabbed him by the arm and took him into any room. Yunho, who was dragged in a whim, wasn’t surprised as all, but he was just curious. It was because he wasn’t the kind of person who could be surprised by unimportant things. But that was just for a moment, as Yunho couldn’t help but mirror Ahjoong’s widened eyes. All thanks to the question that came out of her mouth.

“Jung Yunho. Are you dating Jaejoong?”

“......What?”

“Earlier, in this house.... What were you two doing? Huh? Argh, stop being so frustrating and just answer me!!”

“Ah.... _Nuna_ , I... Well...”

“Come on!!”

Yunho was taken aback by the sight of Ahjoong stomping her feet and screaming. He had no chance to think of the question earlier, but to witness Ahjoong’s state of anger which he was unfamiliar with, he couldn’t help but get flustered. Jaejoong poked his head into the room, asking what was going on, as he was surprised at the loud noise. Then, Yunho blinked twice and took a deep breath before approaching Jaejoong.

“Wait for a bit, we have something to talk about... I’ll tell you later. Stay out.” At the end of Yunho's words, Jaejoong disappeared with a nod, and again, Yunho and Ahjoong were left in the room.

He didn't know what was going on, but now it seems like Ahjoong is quite worked up and aware of everything. Yunho was a bit hesitant since the situation was totally different from what he had expected earlier, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He was gonna tell her about it anyway. He could ask the reason for the change in attitude later. Right now, he had to answer Ahjoong’s question. He looked at Ahjoong’s somewhat sickly complexion, and spoke with no hesitation.

“I thought you still didn’t know until earlier. Looks like I was wrong.”

“....T-then....”

“I’m willing to tell you this because I don’t think you’ll be opposed to us.”

“.......”

Those words that she had wished for all her life. Those words that she thought it would be a dream hearing that right from Yunho’s mouth. However...... At this moment, she really hoped that he’d deny it. Even if she’d cry out begging.... the Jung Yunho in front of her would still wedge her into that anxious feelings. Ahjoong sat on the floor, feeling her sight getting white. _“_ _Hhhhh... how could this happen?_ _”_

Given the identity of the cafe run by Ahjoong, Yunho had expected her to be happy when he revealed the fact. But what is this? Far from that, she collapsed on the floor by the shock, feeling embarrassment. This wasn’t what he was expecting... He had a lot of regrets about what he just said.

Ahjoong, who was sitting there and rolling her eyes, and raised her head towards Yunho with a little hope. It was too early to be discouraged. Just because Yunho and Jaejoong are in such a relationship, it's not guaranteed that the paparazzi had captured something dangerous. With this thought, Ahjoong once again shouted in her mind, "Please!" and asked Yunho.

“So… You two are really dating?”

“.…Yes.”

“Then…. Did you… Inside this house, or inside the car… Did you two… do questionable things…?”

“Huh?”

“Ah what I mean….”

“Things like…. kissing?”

Ahjoong nodded, feeling her lower lip trembling slightly. _“Please... Please...”_

“Yes, we do it a lot. Since it’s been while since we dated.”

That’s it. It’s over. Now, there’s nothing she could do. When she heard the exact opposite of what she had wished to hear, she became calmer. From now on, it's no use worrying or doing anything alone. Ahjoong grabbed the bed to raise herself up. She let out a long breath and shook her legs off. It's such a contradiction. She was so calm on the outside, but on the inside, she was a huge mess. Ahjoong moved to stand in front of Yunho and tapped him on the shoulder. “Just don’t give Jaejoong a hard time…” Yunho asked, "Yes?" but Ahjoong just passed him and left the room.

In the living room, Jaejoong and Jungwoo were talking while watching the TV. She was envious of Jaejoong, and also Jungwoo, who knew nothing about Jaejoong’s relationship with Yunho. The only one who’s having a hard time in this situation is Ahjoong. She was the only one. Who can she talk to about this situation? Yunho and Jaejoong themselves? That was a definite no. She'll do anything to stop it before it gets too big. She also couldn’t tell Jungwoo, because she wants to keep their secret.

She sighed. She felt distant from the time she fell into the delusion about Yunho liking her. That was a rather fun and happy time. That’s right…. It would be better if Yunho liked her instead. Yunho and Jaejoong…. So what if they achieved the goal of YunJae-Making like a dream? It will soon about to be shattered in this situation where her beloved U-Know is in danger.

Ahjoong went into her room and picked up her cell phone with a steady hand, contrary to her trembling heart, and began to contact them. Them. Them who share one mind with Ahjoong. The only place Ahjoong can rely on now. It was the root of the problem, but she had no choice but to rely on... YunJae-Making.

* * *

[Call me right away if you see anything strange. Don't leave Yunho and Jaejoong alone as much as you can.]

When she was texting Jungwoo hastily, Malsook entered at the end. Those who gathered at Min Young's house seemed surprised by Ahjoong’s sudden call. Crying out tightly at them to gather up, while the rest of them were sleeping, dating, and working, they all came together in a hurry. Malsook, who was with her boyfriend before, pressed Ahjoong, “What's the matter with you all ready to turn over everything?”

Ahjoong began to fall into a conflict about how to organize and tell these series of big events. Obviously, it was too much for her to say, and it was something she should never tell. Her heart is pounding.

“There’s a good news and a bad news. No, it’s not something I can say so calmly. There’s a good like crazy news and a bad to death news. It's no use choosing between the two to listen first.”

“What are you on?”

“Just listen to me.”

Everyone tilted their heads at Ahjoong’s twisted words. Although they sensed that it was unusual for Ahjoong to call them in a hurry, this made them feel anxious again. They have no idea what was gonna come out of that mouth at all, so they grew even more anxious. Ahjoong kept her mouth shut for a long time and said nothing. This time, they quietly waited for her to open her mouth again. It was because it seemed that it wasn’t a urgent matter.

After a long period of silence and tension, Ahjoong opened her mouth and everyone's eyes were glued to her lips.

“Jung Yunho and Kim Jaejoong!!!”

Suddenly everyone was startled at the loudness of the sound. What about Jung Yunho and Kim Jaejoong?

“.…….They’re dating for real… Believe this.”

“.…….The hell is she saying.”

“Ah, what the hell. You gave such a long pause only to talk about that? I know that too, Kim Ahjoong? Stop the joke.”

“Uwaargh… That’s not it. I’m saying it’s real. I’m being serious!”

“Yeah yeah~ YunJae is real. Except that it’s not.”

“ARGH SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!”

She exploded. At their ridiculous response, Ahjoong shouted at them to leave the house. But they still go “You nuts?” while rolling their eyes. Ahjoong was so close to going crazy. Malsook stood up, saying in an irritated manner, “If you don’t have anything else to say, I’m leaving,” and Ahjoong harshly grabbed her arm. Looking straight into Malsook’s frowning eyes, Ahjoong put on a grim look.

“Please…. It’s true. Yunho and Jaejoong are at my house right now. You have to believe me. And… there’s a big problem.”

“Oooh~ Is that so~? There’s something bigger than YunJae dating?”

“Hey, Kim Malsook. Stop the sarcasm. This seems weird.”

“Oh, Young- _eonni_? Then, you think what she’s saying right now is true? Is that it? Huh?”

“Just sit first. Stop being noisy.”

“God…. What’s someone’s supposed to do if you tell a busy person to come and then say something like this?”

“Not shutting up?”

“Tch.”

Ahjoong closed her eyes and exhaled deep breaths. She didn't expect them to believe this sudden remark, but she never thought they would be this sarcastic. These people who take it only as a joke are cold-hearted. Ahjoong put her hands together to wipe her face, and then spoke seriously again.

“Just listen to me until the end, whether you think this is a joke or whatever. Don’t cut me in the middle. I’m begging you all. Listen to me until the end just this once……… Hufff…… Okay. I’ll calmly tell you from the beginning. Actually I’m not in such a hurry. I can't even organize my thoughts. First of all… Firstly. Yunho and Jaejoongie. I’m not entirely sure of the detils, but we know that they’ve known each other since high school so it was already a long time, and about them liking each other…. I don’t know… Oh, probably at that time….. A-anyway. You have to believe me for real. Because this is something that I heard directly from Yunho.”

Gradually, Malsook, Mian, and Young’s expressions were getting serious. They seem to be agonizing over whether to believe this or not. Yeah, maybe it's better not to believe, given what she was about to say. Ahjoong went on with her story.

“And today…. they appeared… the paparazzi.”

As soon as the word paparazzi came out from Ahjoong’s mouth, startled gasps came out of each of their mouths. Malsook still didn’t buy her words, but she still looked somewhat worried. Ahjoong continued to talk while staring at Malsook.

“Jungwoo and I saw someone taking pictures of the inside of my house through the veranda from the opposite building. I was worried, so I asked Yunho. I asked if they’re dating. But… God… How could this happen? Yunho knew about YunJae-Making. He thought I was on his side so he just told me the truth. They’re dating. It’s been quite a while. If it was just until that point, then it’ll be alright….. He said this with his own mouth. So…. They had kissed too. And they do it often. Which means not only in my house, where the photos were still being taken, but also in the car with a very high possibility of pictures getting taken. This situation…. How am I gonna handle this?”

Not cheers, but only sighs were heard from here and there. If it wasn't for the paparazzi, they'd be screaming with joy right now. Maybe they’d even faint out of joy. But the good thing was completely buried by the incident that followed. It wasn’t something they could like. If they don't believe them both then they wouldn’t care, and if they believe them both, it's clear that this situation is a huge one.

“Hey…. Ahjoong- _ah_ …”

“Believe me. Believe me. Even if you don’t want to, you have to. Because it’s the truth. It’s the truth, as I’m not a crazy bitch. Even if I do look like one―”

“Okay okay! We’ll believe you!”

“―right now―….. Ah….”

She was so frustrated that she was going crazy, so Ahjoong decided to push them recklessly. So she kept muttering, and now all of them were in a mood of acceptance. As a result, all of their faces froze like ice. Everyone were on edge. Every of Ahjoong’s words stuck in their heads as the truth. U-Know was in danger. Jaejoong was in danger.

Then Young jumped up and banged the table with her hands.

“That’s right! We’ll take all of Ahjoong’s words as facts. So now we can’t just keep still like this. I can't watch U-Know go wrong even if I die. This wasn't it. This isn't what we were trying to make.”

“So what do we do? What can we do? I couldn’t take a good look at the guy’s face.”

“We'll do anything to stop it, of course! We need to find that paparazzi. We didn't even know about the two of them, so how did that guy know, we still didn't know.”

It floats like a cloud. What Young was saying, that is. Ahjoong also wanted to solve this case right away, but she was so nervous because there was no way to do it. Mian and Malsook were also sighing with their faces buried in their hands. Is there no way? The way to stop that paparazzi from giving the pictures to a publishing company…”

*****ddrrrrrrt***** All four looked at the source of the sound, startled by the sound of the powerful vibrations. Of course it was Ahjoong's cell phone that was on the table again. Ahjoong picked up the noisy cell phone, rubbing her startled chest. It was a phone call from Jungwoo. _“What's going on? Did something happen?”_ Ahjoong answered the phone with those thoughts.

“Hello?”

< “Hello? _Nuna_? _Nuna_! I-it’s now.” >

“What? What happened?”

< “Ah, well… Where are you now?” >

“I’m meeting up with my friends right now…”

< “ _Nuna_. Yunho and Jaejoong went out for a bit―” >

“What? I told you not to leave them alone!”

< “I’m sorry, _Nuna_. But that’s not the problem right now… Yunho left his phone here so I took the incoming call. But…. It was a woman’s voice. As soon as I picked up, she just said some things and hung up.” >

“.….A woman?”

< “Yes. She said this. I pity you, but I’m not sorry. That was it. Then she hung up right away. Isn’t this suspicious? I thought it was related to that paparazzi.” >

_“I pity you, but I’m not sorry….”_ Ahjoong began to feel the same way too. If she’s someone who’s in the position of knowing U-Know’s sexual orientation, calling a paparazzi on him, giving it to the press to bring U-Know down to the bottom…. then it would make sense. But one thing that bothers her, who would want to hurt U-Know? And moreover... a woman…

“Jungwoo- _yah_! Did you see the number?”

< “Yes. Seeing that she straight up called him, I don’t think she’s worried about Yunho finding out her identity.” >

“Then say out the number to me.”

< “Okay wait…” >

Once she wrote down the number Jungwoo said on the paper, Ahjoong hung up. If it’s not a useless prank call, then she’s definitely the woman who instigated the paparazzi. Ahjoong doesn’t know much about Yunho’s relationship with other people, so she has no idea who the woman might be. But, it wouldn't have been difficult to find out who she was with this phone number. There’s a high possibility that if this wasn’t her number, it probably was her acquaintance’s.

They all listened to Ahjoong’s phone call together as she had set the volume to maximum. So as soon as Ahjoong wrote down the number and hung up, Young and Malsook rushed to call the number, but Ahjoong tried to stop them. They didn’t know the identity of the number’s owner yet, so if they called the number hastily, it might be harder for them to know the woman’s identity. Before making a call, it would be better to find out who this person was.

But when Ahjoong, Young, and Malsook were all worked up, there was one woman who was quiet by herself... It was Mian. She was staring down at the number that Ahjoong had written down with trembling eyes. Ahjoong who just realized Mian was acting strangely, asked her.

“Mian- _ah…_ What’s wrong…?”

“.….. Heh.”

“Huh?”

“.…….Crazy bitch.”

“Hahahaahhh…. Me?”

“Ryuan…. Fucker!!!! I’m gonna beat her up!!!!!”

“Huh…?”

Spitting out those curse words and raking her long hair... Mian vanished in the blink of an eye. The remaining three who was staring blankly at the suddenly empty seat… stiffened foolishly and blinked their eyes. _“What did she say before she ran out again? Ryuan… was it? …..Ryuan? MIan… knows Ryuan? Then this number….”_


	36. YJ Project - Chapter 36.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Handsome U-Know. Sexy U-Know. Cool U-Know. Disgusting U-Know. You’re over now.]

Immediately out of Young's house, Mian did not hesitate for a second to get into her car and start the engine. As soon as the engine started, Mian began to drive to somewhere. Her face was crunching up and her gaze was burning as if it would pierce the windshield. When the traffic light caught her while she stepped on the accelerator, she slammed the steering wheel with her fist and cursed out loud.

“Fuck…”

Ryuan…. She was Mian’s biological sister. Her real name was Lee Noan. Well, actually, she changed her name a year ago, so her resident registration card says her name is Lee Ryuan. Until 3 years ago, Ryuan was doing KNOW YOU activities with Mian, as a fanatic fan. However, after she joined a big agency thanks to their brother's connection and debuted with a short training period of half a year, she became a mean sister who didn't even bother to contact Mian. So, she didn’t think of her as a sister anymore, nor did she say anything about this to the YunJae-Making executives whom she’s close to. That’s why she secretly avoided any trouble between KNOW YOUs and Ryuan’s fans.

The reason Ryuan wanted to be a singer was solely because of U-Know. It wasn't enough for her to fight with Mian, or to bust the waiting room using her brother's connection, or looking at U-Know from afar. She wanted to stand on par with U-Know and look at him. As a result, she became a singer as soon as possible by nagging her brother. She had been in the spotlight since her debut and was one of the most popular singers, and that pushed her arrogance even more. Mian was a little nervous because she knew what Ryuan’s intention was since the very beginning, but she didn't worry too much. It was because even though it was obvious that Ryuan had done a lot, there was no stories about her and U-Know. In addition, based on U-Know's personality, it was clear that he would reject women like Ryuan.

Sometimes she would spend her time imagining how Ryuan would get dumped by U-Know. But what is this now? She frowned when she saw Ahjoong writing down the number on the paper while talking on the phone earlier. Whose phone number was that? It felt familiar to her. She thought for while until she remembered and unknowingly cursed the phone number’s owner’s name out loud.

She guessed Ryuan’s been through a lot. She couldn't believe she’s even thinking of taking U-Know down by his weakness. And on top of that, she couldn’t believe that it was about YunJae being real, which she had wanted even in her dreams. _“_ _I pity you, but I_ _’_ _m not sorry? Stop joking around. You think U-Know would want to hear your apology? Just use the word_ _“_ _mian_ _”_ _when you_ _’_ _re calling my name, you bitch. Goddammit I kept swearing since earlier._ _”_ She expected Ryuan to explode one day, whether by doing something small or big, but doing thinks like this made Mian sincerely wants to crush her. She doesn’t care if she’s her sister or what, she’s gonna make sure to kick her ass as soon as she meet her.

After Mian arrived in front of the dorm where Ryuan was staying with her bandmate, she burst her car door open and came out. The fact that she casually gave a warning to Yunho proved that she wasn't on a schedule, but still, she took out her cell phone out just in case. There were dozens of missed calls alternately from Young, Ahjoong and Malsook, but Mian pressed the cancel button and called someone else.

She could hear the ringback tone, a song that she doesn’t even want to hear. It was probably RyuYe’s newest title song. Even her group’s name sounds lame. What the hell is RyuYe? It was just a combination of the member’s name’s first syllable. She could hear the song of a group who was famous for being hated by the adults in their 30s and above because their names were hard to pronounce. So that she could hear the song as less as possible, she moved the phone away from her ear and took long steps, but then she heard the song cut off and someone’s voice was heard.

< “Hello? _Eonni_!! What happened? You even called me...” >

“Ah, yeah... Yesol- _ah,_ it’s been a while.”

< “Are you doing well? Ah, but right now I’m not with Ryuan.” >

“Ah, it’s okay. Have I ever asked you to give the call to that brat?”

< “Right. Hahah. Ah, but do you need something from me?” >

“Well... Is that brat Ryuan at the dorm right now?”

< “Probably? It’s our free time today so I went out to play. Ryuan said she’s not going anywhere.” >

“Really? Thank you, Yesol. I’ll treat you the next time we meet. I’m kinda busy right now so I’m hanging up―”

< “Yes~ See you next time~” >

What a nice kid. It would be great to have someone like Yesol as a sister and throw Ryuan away. How could she be a member of the same group, but completely different from Ryuan? Mian quickly headed towards Ryuan's dorm, while thinking about these things.

_“_ _....Ah... I_ _’_ _m nervous as wreck._ _”_ Mian waited for the door to open while pressing on the bell. When she first pressed it, there was no response, so she did it again, but there was still no response. She was annoyed and pressed it over and over again, but nothing changed. _“Is she not home...?”_ As she thought carefully, even if she was inside, she would never open the door when she saw Mian’s face. She then called Yesol again to find out the password to open the door. After pressing the number that Yesol told her, she opened the front door and went inside.

It was her first time here because she never had any business there, so she feels unfamiliar to the interior of the house. After rushing from room to room, she finally found Ryuan's room, judging from the fact that there's a U-Know poster in the corner of the room... Wait... There was something written next to Yunho's face in the poster.

[Handsome U-Know. Sexy U-Know. Cool U-Know. Disgusting U-Know. You’re over now.]

_“What is this even? Disgusting U-Know.... You’re over now, she said....”_ When Mian took her eyes off the poster and looked around the room, she saw countless pictures lying on the desk. With a frown on her face, Mian carefully approached the desk. But then... As the distance between her and the desk narrows, the slower she walks. Eventually, Mian stopped in front of the pictures and picked up one of them with trembling hands.

She expected it, but until just now, she kept doubting it. Indeed, all the photos on the desk contained physical intimacy between Yunho and Jaejoong. God, oh, God.... Who would have imagined that these things could be seen in real pictures instead of edited ones? Almost all of them were taken in the house and several other pictures were taken in the car in the parking lot. It wasn't as clear since everything was taken from afar, but it was clear that they were Yunho and Jaejoong.

The pictures of them backhugging, the pictures of them embracing and pecking each other’s cheeks, and even pictures of them kissing solemnly, everything confused Mian. Instinctively, she picked up a few pictures and put them in her pocket, thinking that she can’t really do anything. After that, her head hurts at the thought on what she should do, and she sank to her knees. She was messing her hair when she heard the front door open, and not long after, the room door also opened.

“Oh?”

“......”

She could see Ryuan letting out a sound of surprise. _“That bitch. That slut.”_ But when she got up, she grabbed her head and didn't even have the strength to shake her head, so she just looked up at Ryuan. There was a few seconds of silence and Ryuan scowled as she pulled herself together. It's embarrassing to see how much plastic surgery had turned her face upside down. _“But with that face, it's uglier when you frown, girlie. No one will believe you if you go around saying that you're Lee Mian's younger sister. There should be something similar left.”_

“....Lee Mian..?”

“Right, Lee Noan.”

“What the hell...”

“Hah. That’s my line.”

“How did you...”

“How did I get here? Shouldn’t you be saying “It’s been a while, _Eonni~_ ” first?”

“God.”

_“Hufff... Oh, just looking at that face makes me angry. When we lived together, except when we were fangirling, we used to go beyond bickering and start a life-threatening war. I can't hate you so much after meeting you as an enemy.”_ Mian sighed, held on to the desk and raised herself. Ryuan was much shorter than Mian, so she had to look up when the other stood up. Mian snorted at the unchanging appearance. No, but now is not the right time for trivial quarrels.

“Hey. This.”

“What.”

“These pictures. What are these?”

“........Ah~ Riiight~ You were U-Know’s rabid fangirl.... I've forgotten for a while. But how did you know it was me and came all the way here?”

“You wish to die?”

“Argh, shut up. If you're here to argue, it's just gonna be noisy, so get out of here. If you're here to stop me, it's too late, so go away.”

Ryuan scratched around her neck, being sarcastic and laughing at Mian. At that Mian was angry, but she stopped her outburst because of what she just heard. _“What did she say? It’s too late already?”_

“I don’t know if you got dumped by U-Know at some point, but if you're gonna play a trick here, you gotta stop right now.”

“Are your ears clogged or what~ I said it’s already too late. Ah, we don’t accept ugly kids in our house, so get out now. How annoying.”

“What do you mean by it’s too late??!!”

“Urgh, my ears hurt. Your voice only got louder since you did that hardcore fangirling. You still can’t act your age, huh?”

“I asked you what did you mean?!?!”

With Mian raising her voice even more, Ryuan approached her, covering her ears with both hands. Then she strongly pushed Mian, who was holding on to the desk, and gathered the shabby pictures. She then swept them in her arms, and then she threw everything into the trash can. Mian who was surprised by the scene approached her with a step. Ryuan who dusted her hands off after throwing the pictures turned to look at Mian.

“No, but Why does that U-Know has such a dirty taste?”

“You....”

“I actually tried to just let it go for old time’s sake, but the more I think about it, the more I resent it. It angers me. Besides, even if it wasn't because of me, it'd come to light one day anyway, right?”

“Lee Noan!!!!”

“Urgh fuck, don't call me with that ugly name. Anyway, I was so surprised to see them kissing. I'm gonna have to get paid for the mental damage. After that, I got some paparazzis on them and the datas came in one after another. So now I’m just sending all the original photos to a journalist I know. He welcomed me with his eyes. He must have liked it so much. Isn't this such a huge issue? Not just for South Korea, but the whole world. I need the articles to be sorted out right now, but too bad they delayed it again. In two days.”

Her clenched fists trembled. _“I can't believe she already handed it over to the journalist. So now... What should I do?”_

“What’s that journalist’s name?”

“.....You crazy? Why would I tell you that?”

“Just say it quick!”

“Drop it. Leave. You think I’ll say “Yes, I understand,” and tell it to people like you?”

“Hey!!!”

In the end, Mian was overwhelmed by anger and grabbed Ryuan’s hair. Ryuan too scratched Mian’s face, and they fought a fierce war again after so many years. However, that was all to no avail. Even with a handful of her hair got pulled out, Ryuan wouldn’t open her mouth. The meaningless fight continued until eventually RyuYe's manager showed up and stopped them.

* * *

“Mian- _ah_!!”

“Hey what happened to you?!”

They were shocked to see Mian with her hair all tousled up and her face full of nail marks. How can you not be shocked when the kid suddenly ran out and came back looking like she just went into a lion's den? And in this serious situation on top of all. They began to question where she had been, and Mian shrugged her drooping shoulders.

“....Hey...”

“....Argh... Fu― really... What do we do now...?”

“Mian- _ah~_ Where did you go to? Hm? Come on tell us.”

“Huhuu... Youngie- _eonni_... What do we do? What will happen to Yunho...?”

Because of Mian who kept crying and asking what to do, and won’t give them any explanation, all of them began to burst into tears. _“Why does it have to be like this? At times when we should feel happy...”_

“I... went to somewhere.”

“Yeah. Say it. It’s okay, tell us.”

“Ryuan.... I went to meet her.”

“......Ryu...an..?”

“If I tell everything, it’d be too long... Huhuuu.... The bitch who told the paparazzi to get Yunho. That was Ryuan.”

As soon as Mian finished her words, everyone stopped their tears as their faces filled with surprise. It was because of that unimaginable name. They thought they heard Mian muttering that name when she went out earlier, but they doubted it. But the name they were hearing right now was definitely Ryuan’s. Ryuan called the paparazzi on Yunho? No, but that’s not the problem. How did Mian knew Ryuan? How did she meet her? Those are the questions constantly floating in their heads.

“Ryuan.... you say... Mian- _ah_ , tell us the whole thing.”

“But she already gave them to the journalist. I couldn’t find out who the journalist was.... What do I do....?”

“It’s... already been handed over....?”

“The day after tomorrow. It will be on the news.”

“...The day.... after tomorrow? .....Isn’t Yunho going abroad that day?”

Is this what they call by a bold out of the blue? Why is this such a surprise. Ahjoong, Malsook, and Young had to open their eyes bigger because they were surprised by Mian’s words. Their eyes shook in unison. They can’t let it end like this. They can’t just let their hands off of this.... Never.

“Ahjoong- _ah_...”

“....Yeah...?”

“Don’t tell Yunho and Jaejoong...”

“......”

“We’ll stop this somehow.”

Even though they know there was no way to stop it, they refuse to yield. Ah, really. They were feeling upset to death. The couldn’t express it in words, so they let their tears fall.

* * *

After splitting up with Young, Mian, and Malsook, Ahjoong ran straight home. She told Jungwoo who was with Yunho and Jaejoong to not worry about anything and just go home. He was worried, so he kept asking even until he was about to leave, and he kept sending her messages. Even when Ahjoong gave him answers, she kept paying attention to Yunho and Jaejoong who were in the other room. But the two were just laughing without knowing the feelings of the people around them.

“Look at this! Like what I said! It won’t bounce at all.”

“Pffft―”

“What? You’re mocking me?”

How could he not laugh at a grown up man jumping and grumbling on the bed. Even though Yunho is used to seeing Jaejoong doing weird and cute things habitually, he couldn’t help but laugh. The smile wouldn’t leave his mouth. “Stop jumping around. You’ll hit your head on the ceiling,” Yunho nagged him, and Jaejoong pouted and stopped stamping his foot.

“I couldn’t even jump so it’s not fun. I won’t hit my head on the ceiling since it’s not bouncy enough.”

“Okay okay~”

“I wanna go to your house soon....”

“We were there before, tho?”

“Well, I wanna always stay there.”

_“_ _.....That_ _’_ _s admirable, Kim Jaejoong. So you have that thought too, huh. Well, even if you don_ _’_ _t I_ _’_ _d just drag you in one day anyway._ _”_ Yunho subtly raised and lowered the corners of his lips. Jaejoong didn’t come down from the bed, but reaches out and hugs Yunho's neck. And then the center of gravity turned towards Yunho. He faltered to the back and barely regained his balance. He grumbled, grinding his chin on Jaejoong’s shoulder, and rubbed the other’s back. Then, he held Jaejoong in his arms and put him down on the floor. He smiled again soundlessly.

“This is what you wanted, huh...” Yunho put his finger on Jaejoong’s forehead and pushed him back lightly.

When Yunho lowered him to the floor, Jaejoong swung his arms back and forth, walked to the desk, and flopped onto the chair. “Ah, right! Should I show you my baby pics?” Yunho nodded in answer.

_“_ _Actually I_ _’_ _ve seen one before. And I hid it well in my house, Jaejoong-_ ah _...._ _”_ Yunho held back those embarrassing words and strode towards Jaejoong. He stood behind Jaejoong, who was busy looking for the album, and then scratched his chin. _“_ _My, my. I'm having so much fun. It's such an unfamiliar happiness._ _”_

“Ah, found it!” Jaejoong said as he looked up at Yunho. Without hesitation, Yunho cupped his cheeks and kissed him. _“_ _This guy should really hold back on the surprise attacks...._ _”_ If somehow Kim Jaejoong’s death was announced, then the cause was definitely heart attack, thanks to Jung Yunho’s surprise kisses. Jaejoong closed his eyes as he had that odd thought. _“_ _So what if I_ _’_ _m a little surprised. My Yunho is still_ _really_ _cool._ _”_

With his hands full of Jaejoong’s cheeks, he bit on the man’s thick lips. Jaejoong put the album on his desk and put his hands behind Yunho's back. In order to get closer, Yunho's knee climbed onto the chair and they were almost completely stuck together. He was about to kiss Jaejoong much deeper― and then he heard a loud sound. It was the sound of Yunho’s phone.

“Urgh, fuck...”

He even cursed, something which he usually didn’t do. Jaejoong, who’s cheeks flushed brightly, removed himself from the grumbling Yunho, and pointed towards the direction of the cell phone. Yunho messed his hair, stomping towards the cell phone, and flipped the phone open.

“What.”

< “.....You sound worse than usual.” >

“So what.”

< “Okay okay. Where are you now?” >

“Jaejoong’s house.”

< “Hhhh... You’re leaving the country in two days. Aren’t you gonna get ready? You have to warm up your throat before meeting the composer too. You play too much these days.” >

“Argh, I know I’ll do it.”

< “I’ll stop talking for real then? You know so you’ll do it right? I won’t care?” >

“Hm.”

He hung up the call. He had always been pretty rude to everyone except for Jaejoong and those around Jaejoong, but his reaction earlier was even sharper as he was interrupted at such an important moment. Fortunately, the person who called was Jungsoo, who was familiar with Yunho. If it were someone else, they could have been cursed at.

“You’re going to Japan in two days?”

“Seems so.. I didn't think about it.”

“But, Yunho- _yah_.”

“Hm?”

“Aren’t you being too mean to Jungsoo- _hyung_? If it was me I would’ve been so upset.... Just fix it a little bit. Okay?”

“.....Dunno.”

Yunho frowned as the topic flowed to something he didn’t really like. Yunho was usually really that handsome that someone could fall for him hundreds of times in a minute, but whenever he frowned, he looked like someone that could be from a gang. Jaejoong puckered his lips and tried to flatten Yunho's forehead with his fingers. Then Yunho burst into a small laugh, took down the hand on his face, and openly stared at Jaejoong's face. Yunho's favorite mood is... like this. If Jaejoong goes somewhere and say, “Jung Yunho is this kind of guy~” how many people will believe him if he told them everything?


	37. YJ Project - Chapter 37.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [COMING OUT]

“.....”

The couldn't say anything. They bit on their lips because they couldn't do anything. There was nothing else they could do but tilt the glass in their hands.

It was only for a moment that they were surprised and made a fuss after hearing everything from Mian, and now because of the fact that the pictures had already been handed to the journalist, they had no rooms for other thoughts. After Mian visited Ryuan, her group went on an overseas schedule, so it was impossible for them to question her any more. There was no way to find out which agency the journalist belongs to. They also couldn’t do something as crazy as asking around if they had received those kind of pictures. The words “We’ll stop this somehow” ended as a short thought. As a result, all the could do now is drink down the alcohol like irresponsible people.

Although it was so sudden, they should post on the YunJae-Making cafe, about “Yunho and Jaejoong are this and that and now they’re dating.” But where’s the right sense in that? Those who knew everything, were shedding sad tears instead of laughing happily. There would be no one who can understand the cafe members’ feelings, who are frustrated by the large number of unnotified admins' doing.

With a sigh of tears and a tearful sighs, Ahjoong, Young, Mian, and Malsook dunked soju into their mouths with a face that looked like they’ve lived all their lives in the world. The number of bottles rolling on and down the table is hard to count. They couldn't stop gulping down the glass because they were in a pitiful situation where they couldn't do anything.

Tomorrow. No, in a few hours.... a terrible incident will break out. The noisy media will make up all sorts of stories about the incident, and the chatty netizens will push Yunho to the edge of the cliff. Really.... The things they don’t even want to imagine, they never want to believe that those will happen when they are in a situation where they can’t do anything to lay their hands off.

Young held his forehead in her hand, her eyes closed, and drank in tears. Ahjoong was crying loudly, making the house noisy. Mian was pressing a glass of wine to the back of her hand as if to break it, her lower lip was bitten tightly. No matter how hard they try to hold back their tears, they couldn’t stop them from falling. They were so angry. Mian thought that she was a just mean sister, but who would have expected her to go this far?

Not different from the three of them, Malsook was shedding tears enough to make a tear path down her cheeks, slamming her head onto the table. She thought that she might forget about it and stop crying since she’s already drunk, but there was no sign of stopping.

“Malsook- _ah_ , pick up your phone.”

“......No.”

“Pick it up. Here.”

Malsook's cell phone rang on the floor and Young picked it up and handed it over to her. What kind of calls would she receive at times like this? She didn’t have any reason to ignore the call so she had to pick it up even when she didn’t want to. When she checked who the caller was, it was Malsook's boyfriend. Malsook answered the phone, barely clearing her crying voice. She tried clearing her voice, but maybe because she was too drunk, her tongue was all twisted. Listening to her boyfriend's voice made her sadder. It hurts even more.... and she missed him. With mixed feelings, Malsook began to burst into tears like what Ahjoong was doing.

“ _Oppa.... Oppaaa....._ Huwaahhhh.... Huhuu...”

He was probably flustered at the sudden crying voice, so he asked what had happened in a soothing voice. Malsook's boyfriend, who was an executive in a syndicate, was a careful and considerate person to her. It was natural that it was harder to talk about this to him, because she had relied on her boyfriend for everything. But now that she was this drunk, Malsook was unable to tell the difference between what to say and what not to.

“ _Oppaa_.... What do I doo...? Our Yunho and Jaejoong.... How... Huhuu... Is it a sin for men to love each other? Why do they have to go through this because of that....? When I think about the scars those soft-hearted kids will get... No but why does it have to be them? Why does it have to be those pretty kids...? She said she was a fan. She said she was a KNOW YOU. How could that bitch Ryuan do such things? How could she call the paparazzi to take pics of those two kids loving each other and handed them over to the journalist?? I couldn’t even find out who the journalist is so I couldn’t stop that..... What wrong did Yunho do....? Huuh??? Really.... _Oppa_ , what should they do now...? Huhuuuu.....”

Even though Malsook had been complaining to her boyfriend over the phone for a long time, Young, Ahjoong, and Mian couldn’t stop her from saying such things. It was because they were already unconscious and passed out one by one.

* * *

It was bright. The morning that she hoped wouldn’t come at all had arrived. Those who spent the night at Young's house fell asleep with the bottles, and it was not until late morning that they woke up. It was almost noon, and it was so quiet because they’re all completely offline. By now, it was obvious that the newspapers, the internet, and TV are going crazy. The tears, which she thought were dry yesterday, flowed down from the morning breeze, and Malsook ran to the bathroom and vomited, perhaps because of the alcohol she drank at night or because of the thoughts about Yunho and Jaejoong.

They had no intention of hearing the news, so they closed their eyes tightly along with their ears. Everyone, except Young that is. Young, who was precise and cold-hearted at any time and place, came into her room and turned on the computer. If they failed to prevent it in advance, they still had to do some post-damage control. Of course, controlling the damage was never possible, but she needs to know how the story goes anyway.

When she turned the computer on with trembling hands and opened the internet, Young suddenly became weak and closed her eyes tightly. She barely managed to calm herself down with a sweep down her chest. When she peeked with one eye slightly open and stared at the monitor, she saw some big letters on the internet news. [COMING OUT-] As soon as she saw those two words, Young had to turn off the monitor. She didn't have the courage to see more. It gave her goose bumps to imagine how the two would have been condemned.

As she came back to the living room, biting her fingernails anxiously, the three others were looking up at her in fear. She was sure those eyes were asking her if she saw the article. But she couldn’t tell them that she turned the monitor off after seeing the words “COMING OUT” on the screen. What a fool. Young was determined again, blaming herself for the lack of courage. That was something she had to go through, no matter how much she hates it. Young patted her chest and walked towards the front door. She slightly opened the front door, and saw today’s newspaper as usual. Swallowing her saliva, Young came back into the house with newspapers in her hand.

At the sight of Young holding the newspapers in her hand, Ahjoong, Mian, and Malsook laid face down on the floor with a breathless sound. Of course they didn't want to see it. Because it was so obvious how painful it would be.

Young pats them on the back and says it's okay. After the unfeasible consolation, she put down the newspapers she had in her arms. The front page of the sports newspaper was not visible because of the economic newspaper above. Surely their news would have been hung on the front page along with some pictures, and as soon as she removed the newspaper on top of it, she'll have to accept the reality.

Young took a deep breath, and Ahjoong burst into tears again, vigorously removing the newspaper above.

“Aaaaaack!”

“Uwaaaaahh.... Nooooo... Noooo.... Nooooooo....”

[COMING OUT]

As expected, the two words were written along with a series of exclamation marks in large red letters on the front page. But then... when they started crying and screaming... they noticed that something seemed to be strange.

“.......Wait....”

“Oh....”

It wasn’t that picture. There were no faces similar to Yunho’s or Jaejoong’s, let alone the pictures of Yunho and Jaejoong's love affair that Mian saw. These guys...... Who are they?

[Shocking!! Popular Singers “DBSK” Same-sex Love, COMING OUT!!]

[Popular male duet group DBSK’s Park Yoochun (21, left), Kim Junsu (21, right)- _ssi_ , at a press conference on May 6, just yesterday, made a shocking statement, “We are in love.” The two used to show their affection on TV, but they were considered fan service levels, so they were not treated as a big event. Kim Junsu- _ssi,_ stated an apology, “First of all, I would like to apologize to our fans. I tried to show you only good things until the end, but it became so hard that I had to make a confession at a press conference.” Park Yoochun- _ssi_ , said, “I know you probably won’t understand. But we love each other so much that even the company and the society couldn’t stop us, and we won't listen to anyone who says anything about us,” as he stated a firm resolu........]

_“_ _......Hm? What are these guys?_ _”_ She stared dumbly at the newspaper. Malsook who covered her eyes with her hands as soon as Young removed the newspaper on top, lowered her hands as she felt her surrounding became too quiet, and then she was making the same facial expressions as the others. They were so dumbfounded that they couldn’t show any reaction.

The big pictures with the article were of Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu of DBSK. _“_ _What are the_ ― _.... no, what is going on here? Why are there no Yunho and Jaejoong?_ _“_ _Maybe because these two_ _’_ _s incident was bigger than YunJae, so they took the front page, and the second page would be...._ _”_ Young, in a moment of panic, flipped the newspaper to the second page. She couldn’t even find the “Yun” from “Yunho”. Feeling odd, they searched every corner of the newspaper from beginning to the end to find articles about Yunho and Jaejoong.

But..... No matter how hard they flipped pages, it didn’t show up. It contained the secrets of Shim Changmin, a successful Harvard University student, and the only thing that was a really big news was the coming out of DBSK. Maybe the journalist wasn’t from this newspaper agency? Yeah, it's more likely, and they were a fool for searching it there. All four of them felt more and more anxious as they had this thought at the same time. They had no choice but to go on the internet, so Young folded up the newspaper and stood up. When she left the room earlier, she just turned the monitor off, so she turned the monitor on right away without having to turn the whole thing on.

However, the article about [COMING OUT] that she saw on the monitor earlier, were also about DBSK’s press conference. Even as she searched all kinds of portal sites for the articles, the only thing that becomes an issue is was TVXQ!, DBSK, and THSK. She couldn't find anything similar about Yunho and Jaejoong. There was just an article in the corner about U-Know leaving for Japan for his next overseas activity.

_“No, this can't be happening. What's going on here? What is this?”_

* * *

It was when Ahjoong and the gang were drinking and crying, throwing a big fuss.

Malsook's boyfriend called Malsook when it was time for her to fall asleep, just as usual.

“Hello? Malsook- _ah_.”

< “ _Oppa.... Oppaaa....._ Huwaahhhh.... Huhuu...” >

“....Malsook- _ah_? What’s wrong? Are you crying?”

< “ _Oppaa_.... What do I doo...?” >

“What’s wrong? Tell me. What happened? Did you drink? Should I pick you up? Where are you?”

She’s making him worry. What should he do if she cried calling “ _Oppa_ ” over and over again as soon as she picked up? He frowned and called out Malsook’s name several times. And then, Malsook was saying something... but her words were unclear, as she was probably pretty drunk. But he somehow tried to understand, as he concentrated his senses on the phone, deciphering Malsook's words. After a few minutes of listening to Malsook’s complains and whining, his face grew stiff.

He knew from the beginning that Malsook was a fan of U-Know. With the help of the organization members, he signed into a site called “jyworld”, and as he followed the flow, he knew that Malsook likes a couple named YunJae. However, he was very tolerant about such things, so just because she liked a man-man couple, he never thought that it was strange at all. That was why he wasn't very surprised by Malsook's drunken words, but he had to frown heavily after someone's name was mentioned.

Unlike many syndicates, his syndicate considered managing adult entertainment establishment as a minor side job, and he set up an agency to raise celebrities. He wasn’t acting as the National Assembly’s errand boy, but rather stood and controlled them from behind. Anyway, so, the problem was the woman called Ryuan. The name that Malsook cried over the phone, that name certainly sounds familiar. He thought for a while on who it could be, until he remembered. Ryuan was a singer in his agency.

He wasn’t good at memorizing the names of the celebrities belonging to the agency, but he was able to remember her because her name was famous for the rumor of her being ill-mannered towards the rookies and that they needed his management. _“_ _Ohho.... So, that bitch is giving Malsookie a hard time. So she hired a paparazzi and handed the pictures to a journalist._ _”_

She even cried desperately. Malsook's tender cry was enough to provoke his anger. If any human being harms Malsook even the slightest bit, there was no way he wouldn't be angry and just let them be. She had been drinking and crying until she’s breathless. _“_ _Ryuan, it_ _’_ _s you._ _”_ He was in charge of their agency in the entertainment industry, so in a way, he could say that he raised Ryuan. He didn’t actually directly raise her, but he’s still the head of the agency anyway. He could do anything he wanted if it was just something like Ryuan.

After he heard Malsook fell asleep, he hung up and immediately called RyuYe's manager. He could hear a hoarse “Hello” as if the other had been sleeping.

“Hey, it’s me.”

< “Who..... Oh oh!! Boss!! What do you need so late at night...?” >

“Long story short, that kid named Ryuan. Ah, but Malsook said she’s abroad right now.”

< “Ryuan? She.... didn’t go abroad... It seems that you’ve heard that because she wasn’t at the dorm right now. She’s staying at Yesol’s.” >

“Huh... So she lied about being abroad because it’s bothersome.”

< “Pardon me?” >

“It was nothing. Spell out her number.”

< “Why would you need Ryuan’s...?” >

“You’re asking useless things right now.”

< “Ah, no, no! You may hang up and I’ll text you the number, Boss.” >

“Okay. Hang in there, I’ll give you a bonus later. You’ve worked hard managing someone like that Ryuan kid.”

< “Thank you, Boss!!” >

As he hung up the phone, he got a text message with numbers on it. This is the number of the bad girl who played Malsook. A human whom only knows to lie or squeak. As far as he knew, the agency gave her a lot of cosmetic surgery. Thinking about it for a moment, he called the number right there, but she didn't answer the first phone call. How arrogant. He called again and only then he began to hear an uneasy reply.

“Argh what the hell? Who called me so late at night?!” >

“......Just as what I heard.”

< “What the? Who are you?” >

“Huffff...... Lee Ryuan. You can’t grasp the situation?”

< “The heck? Are you a pervert? Doing shits like calling women so late at night? How did you even know my name?” >

_“_ _Oh God. This is too much._ _”_

“I’m your agency’s head. Shouldn’t I at least know your name?”

< “.......What bullshit. If you’re the agency’s head, then I’m your syndicate’s boss, you fucker.” >

“......Hey you fucking bitch where are you right now?”

< “........” >

She didn't answer for a long time, but then phone got cut off with a snap. _“I'm speechless. I've never seen such a crazy_ _bitch in my life before. I don_ _’_ _t need bitches like you. I_ _’_ _d kill you as soon as_ _y_ _ou show up in front of me._ _”_

To inform Ryuan of the seriousness of the situation now, it seemed as though he had no choice but to speak through the manager, so he called the manager again, but it said the phone is busy. Maybe she called to ask the manager just in case. She’s probably all white by now, thinking “What have I done.”

After a while, his phone rang. It was Ryuan.

“What.”

< “.......Sir....I’m really, really sorry. I thought it was really a prank call, since I usually got so many calls like that. I'm so sorry, Sir.” >

_“Good grief. You think I’d forgive you if you apologize with a nasal voice like that? I’m gonna get even angrier.”_

< “Siiirr~ You’ll forgive me right? Right?” >

“What’s with that nasal voice. Are you crazy?”

< “.....Yes?” >

“I’m not gonna say long. You. Do you still wanna be a singer?”

< “.....Sir....” >

“Actually, I wanted to kill you no matter what, but then I won’t be able stop the articles.”

< “What.... articles...?” >

“If you’re gonna feign innocence again, I’ll kill you, to hell with the articles. Shut up and hear this out. Right now, find the journalist you gave the pictures to, and ask him to cancel the articles. If you ask me what that means, you'd know better since you're a real psychopath. Even if he asks for money or asks to sleep with you frequently, do anything to stop it. Even if it’s not your doing, if tomorrow, or even years later, the article about those two guys came out, I’m gonna stop your singing career and bury it until no one even knows it exists. Do I sound like I’m joking right now?”

< “.....N-no, Sir.” >

“Then you know. You know, so do it.”

_“How dare the likes of you try to mess with the guys my Malsookie cares about.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- "jyworld" was actually "cyworld", a Korean SNS.


	38. YJ Project - Chapter 38.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “When did you start liking Jung Yunho? How did you two develop into that kind of relationship? How far has the physical affection gone beyond kissing? Tell Me. Okay?”

Yunho went to Japan so he’s not here. His parents are at work so they’re not home. His sister who doesn’t even have lessons hasn’t come back since yesterday, going to who knows where. As soon as Yunho left the airport, Jaejoong went back to an empty house, feeling lonely. He had been rolling around the house until afternoon, but he couldn’t even find any single ant in the house.

It was just past four o'clock when he woke up from either a nap or a slumber. He still has a few hours until his part-time job, but since he felt pathetic, Jaejoong got up. He went to the bathroom and washed his face and then turned on the computer to use the internet. He double-clicked on the internet icon as he thought about what to do. Then, he smiled while thinking about YunJae-Making. He was bored, so he thought he’d take a look there.

He entered the portal site with the intention of going to YunJae-Making, but then he saw an article floating in the news section as a huge issue. Now that he sees it, the popular search words from #1 to #10 were all about the same topic, excluding one or two. Curious, Jaejoong clicked on the article. It was already strange from the title. Coming out?

At first, it was out of curiosity. As he read each lines, Jaejoong's eyes began to grow wider, and by the time he read almost everything, his mouth was wide open. Isn't this a really huge incident? DBSK coming out? DBSK was one of the few singers Jaejoong liked, and this kind of thing happened. “I liked their songs, tho... Will they be able to continue their activities?” he mumbled and calmed his surprised heart, and then, the always-ever-powerful vibration was heard from his cell phone next to the monitor.

“Hello?”

< “What are you doing?” >

“Ah.... Yunho- _yah_?”

< “Yeah.” >

The caller number was strange, so he was wondering what that was, and picked up the call, but then he heard Yunho’s voice. _“_ _The number must_ _’_ _ve been so long and weird because it_ _’_ _s from abroad,_ _”_ Jaejoong thought with a smile appearing on his face.

“I’m on my computer. You? Have you arrived?”

< “I’ve arrived a while ago. I was gonna call you but it was too hectic. I just got back to the hotel after a schedule.” >

“Ah~.... Oh, Yunho- _yah_!! Do you know there’s a big fuss here?”

< “Why?” >

“You haven’t heard the news, huh.... What do I do? I’m so surprised.”

< “What was it?” >

“DBSK. They’re dating each other. They had a press conference yesterday.”

< “What?” >

“Wait a bit.... “I know you probably won’t understand. But we love each other so much that even the company and the society couldn’t stop us, and we won't listen to anyone who says anything about us,” as he stated a firm resolution. This was Park Yoochun.”

< “.......” >

It seemed like Yunho was also in a huge shock. For a moment, there was no answer. Jaejoong wondered how he would react, so he was holding his breath and still holding on to the phone. Soon after, Yunho's voice, which was much lower than before, was heard.

< “Well, the two of them was never ordinary since before. By the way, you must’ve been so surprised.” >

“Of course!! My heart was pounding so fast I thought I was dying. Like, such things do exist in this world. How did two famous people, together....”

< “Heheh...” >

“Why are you laughing?”

< “You’re not thinking of us at all? You’re a commoner, tho.” >

“Eeeeh?”

_“Come to think of it... We're gay, too. It's true that I_ _never thought_ _about_ _things like_ _a_ _m_ _a_ _n and_ _another_ _m_ _a_ _n_ _,_ _or_ _coming out_ _,_ _because I just liked Yunho and_ _I_ _’_ _ve only_ _ever_ _liked_ _that person.”_ The new title felt so strange and distant. However, no matter how much someone loved someone, their genders would remain unchanged, so even if it feels like that, it can’t be helped that it is true. Furthermore, weren’t Jung Yunho and Kim Jaejoong just as famous as Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu? Jaejoong hit himself on the head, for forgetting those facts. _“_ _This idiot._ _”_

Even though they were in no different from the situation from DBSK, it still felt like a story from a faraway country, so he was surprised and confused, and he was speechless. Mostly because of Yunho’s calm response, excluding the short silence. Feeling uselessly sheepish, Jaejoong scratched his cheek.

“Uh.... I see. We’re like that too... Uhm.”

< “Oh, then what did you think we were?” >

“Um, dunno. But then should we do that too? Things like press conference...”

< “Why? You want to? Should we?” >

“Huh? ......No! Are you crazy?!?!?!”

Surprised, Jaejoong pulled himself together and took deep breaths. Beyond the phone, he could hear a crack of laughter from the neighboring country. He didn't know if the laughter actually calmed him down, but Jaejoong’s expression returned to when he answered the phone earlier. It looked like he wants to drop the joke and have a serious conversation.

< “How many hours has it been since we parted?” >

“Dunno.... About 8 hours?”

< “It’s only been that short but I already miss you this much. I should’ve brought you here with me.” >

“.......Hahaha... Right....”

He dropped cold sweat. Really, every time Yunho said things like these, Jaejoong often froze awkwardly. This was actually much better. The first few times, he had to sink on his knees and calm the goosebumps on his arms. Those words would sound romantic when someone else says it, but when it comes out of Yunho’s mouth, it somehow sounds scary. He always whispered romantic words that seemed like had been stolen from somewhere to Jaejoong, with a face that looked like he was about to commit a murder... Even though they were talking on the phone without facing each other, the feeling seemed to be transmitted as it was.

Anyway, Jaejoong missed Yunho so much and he was a little touched by that scary but sweet remark just now. He’s letting that one off. Jaejoong smiled and opened his lips to tell Yunho that he missed him too, but then he heard the front door open. And then there were the sounds of footsteps accompanied by a voice.

“Kiiiim Jaeeeejoooooong!!!!!!!”

He thought he could hear a long, loud word, and then the cell phone he was holding in his hand disappeared. Ahjoong who ran to Jaejoong while screaming took it away. “Ah, what the― Give it back!” He was trying to get his cell phone back, but Ahjoong pulled it back and answered the phone herself. She ran away from Jaejoong, who was chasing her to get his phone back.

“Jung Yunho? You’re Jung Yunho, right?”

< “Ah.... Ahjoong- _nuna_?” >

“Yeah see ya. I’m hanging up.”

< “Eh? Wait, no!―” >

She pushed the slider down and roughly threw the cell phone on the sofa. Dumbfounded and angry at the sudden raid, Jaejoong rolled his eyes to the back, and then Ahjoong grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him down to sit on the sofa. Jaejoong was in a state of disarray, forgetting to be angry, and Ahjoong stood in front of him, resting her arms on her waist, with her sleeves rolled up. Jaejoong bent his neck at the powerful pose.

“Okay... Start now.”

“Hmm??”

“Talk. From your side. How did it start and how far is the progress.”

“What are you saying? What progress?”

“You wanna be annoying now? I’m talking about you and Jung Yunho!”

“.........”

No, but why are there so many shocking things flying in today? From DBSK coming out to Ahjoong who seemed to know about the relationship between him and Yunho.

“Ah, well, I mean... _Nuna_ , you know...”

“Don’t even think of changing the subject or lying. Or even trying to hide it. Don’t forget that I’m a YunJae-Making admin. Whatever you’re gonna say, it’ll be fine to me. Everything is _OK Thank You_. Got it?”

“Ah.... _Nuna_ , I’m too shocked right now.”

“Really? Sorry. Then breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out. Done? Now talk. How did it start and how far have you progressed?”

_“_ _What the hell was that?_ _”_ Jaejoong, who had been staring at Ahjoong with a serious face for a while, started scratching his head. He didn't understand what Ahjoong’s question was about, and there was something more important to Jaejoong than answering her questions.

“ _Nuna_ , I’m gonna ask first. How did you find out about that?”

“Me? Yunho told me, duh. I asked everything to him before he left. Hey, you’re sneakily changing the subject, huh? Say it fast or?”

“Damn.... But you know, _Nuna_.”

“Hey.”

“Ah, I know, I got it.... But _Nuna_ , I don’t understand your questions.”

When asked with such an innocent face, Ahjoong couldn't overcome the frustration and began pounding her chest with her fist. With the help of Malsook's boyfriend, YunJae's paparazzi problem must have been cleared up. All she had to do now was enjoy YunJae. By the way, the kid is being uncooperative right now. Youngie- _eonni_ , Miannie, and Malsookie said he’d drop the act off. Ahjoong pressed Jaejoong once again with a ghostly look, disheveling her long hair.

“When did you start liking Jung Yunho? How did you two develop into that kind of relationship? How far has the physical affection gone beyond kissing? Tell Me. Okay?”

“Ah....”

Now he understood. How foolish. Ahjoong chuckled at Jaejoong's red-hot face and waited for a lengthy explanation. After a few moments of procrastination, Jaejoong soon began to broach his words, deflating the air in his inflated cheeks.

“That day we talked about Kim Youngwoong, which was a made up name I thought of on the spot, I said he had a handsome friend that made his heart race. You might’ve guessed it already, but that was about my feelings towards Yunho. That was when I started to like Yunho first. I confessed when I was drunk, and Yunho was shocked and didn't contact me for a while, but I met him again the day I had to take him home because he was drunk. And then Yunho said he couldn't be without me, so he asked for us to be lovers. That’s how we got to like each other. As for skinship.... we’ve only kissed and that’s all. What do you want now? Are the YunJae-Making people all like this?”

After listening to Jaejoong's story, Ahjoong was mesmerized in the state of the ecstasy. He didn’t explain about the confessing and confirming each other’s feelings part in detail, but as Ahjoong was the master of YunJae fanfics, her imagination stretched around without needing any explanation, allowing her to shoot an entire drama by herself. _“_ _Hm, good good._ _”_ First, she’ll calm Jaejoong down, then steal his phone and do some YunJae-Making.

* * *

< “Jung Yunho? You’re Jung Yunho, right?” >

“Ah.... Ahjoong- _nuna_?”

< “Yeah see ya. I’m hanging up.” >

“Eh? Wait, no! _Nuna_!”

*****beep beep beep***** Yunho put down the phone as he heard the phone cut off. He was wondering what was happening... then he remembered the memory that soon came to his mind. He told Ahjoong that he was dating Jaejoong, but he left without telling anything to Jaejoong. How much trouble is he facing by now? Maybe he was being lectured by Ahjoong right now. He couldn’t help but feel bad as he seemed to have done all the work and left the cleaning behind to Jaejoong.

_“_ _Ah, I really shoul_ _d_ _’_ _ve brought him here_ _._ _”_ The thought wouldn’t leave him. Even more so now. By the way... If he goes back to Korea after finishing this Japan schedule, he’d have about a month of free time. Yunho, who was planning a project to move Jaejoong into his house during that time, smiled again at the thought. It was just a few days away. Just a few days, then he’d have Jaejoong and him under one roof... And he’d be able to hug and pet him to sleep every night. If it was Ahjoong, he was sure she'll agree with him with both hands and feet, so it wasn’t such a hard thing to do.

He was laughing like a fool, when he heard a knock from the outside. He could hear the sound of his thoughts breaking to pieces. The Yunho who had became a different person for a while hid his flirty self somewhere and returned to _the_ Jung Yunho. The Jung Yunho who always kept his mouth shut and showed his angry side from time to time.

* * *

Success!! Jaejoong went out to work part-time without knowing anything. Right now, Ahjoong has got his cell phone in her hand. Hoping for him not to come looking for the phone, Ahjoong sat in front of the computer. She slide the phone up, thinking where to look at first. She fiddled with the menu, and then entered the text message. She was gonna go through the inbox with her heart pounding, wondering about what messages they exchanged to each other, but there was an obstacle. She needed to type a password. Annoyed, she pressed the back button, and this time, she checked the gallery. But there was it again. The obstacle.

_“_ _Aaaaaarghh if it_ _’_ _s like this, then it was meaningless to steal this phone._ _”_ Ahjoong was lost in thought, because she had to succeed in exploring the cell phone somehow. What would the password Jaejoong used be? She tried from a simple 0000 to Jaejoong’s birthday, but nothing happened. She thought maybe it was her birthday, so she tried but of course that wasn’t it. _“_ _It_ _’_ _s not like Jaejoong has a girlfriend or anything.... Girlfriend? Oh my, what is this kid saying? A girlfriend? He has Yunho, duh!_ _”_

With no hesitation, Ahjoong typed in 0206 and right away the gallery had unlocked. Ahjoong moved the mouse with one hand and entered the YunJae-Making Cafe, and with the other hand, she entered the gallery on Jaejoong's mobile phone. Yunho and Jaejoong must have taken a lot of selfies... There were also some videos.

A picture taken side by side with their arms around each other's shoulders. A picture taken with Jaejoong's chin on Yunho's head. A picture of Jaejoong is kissing Yunho's cheek in a cute way. *****cough***** Even a picture of them kissing so deeply that it made her thought it was erotic. _“_ _They even take these kind of things... How nice of them._ _”_ The picture that Mian had taken from Ryuan's house was taken secretly, so she couldn't see their faces well, and it was so far away that they looked small. But now, she got the honor to look at these high quality pictures which were personally taken by them.

How can each of these pictures shine, making it obvious that the two are a celebrity and an _ulzzang_? _“_ _Whose brother was this, whose brother_ _’_ _s boyfriend is this.... Wow._ _”_ Ahjoong was thrilled and admired them, then immediately moved all those good pictures to her cell phone using infrared transmissions. Now, she will look at these pictures 3,000 times a day, and think that she should live a happy life.

After that, she went to check the inbox. However, they were completely empty as the two doesn’t really text each other often. _“_ _No, but i_ _f you're going to do this, why_ _bother_ _lock_ _ing_ _it_ _at all_ _? No, that's not what matters.”_ Having collected enough of amazing pictures, Ahjoong returned Jaejoong's cell phone on the sofa with a pleased look on her face and entered her room. Now, it’s time to take care of YunJae-Making, which had been neglected these days.

_“First of all..._ _to gain_ _attention..._ _So,_ _I'm go_ _nna_ _upload a_ s _imple_ _picture of_ _them_ _standing_ _side by side.”_

[Hello, all the YunJae-ers. You have waited long.... I would like to apologize for the negligence because the admins had been so busy. But if you look at the picture up there, as you know, I’m going to tell you that there was a huge harvest. This is too sudden. Yes, I know. U-Know- _nim_ and Kim Jaejoong- _nim_ had known each other from before. (For convenience sake, I'll skip the honorific title.) When I checked with Jaejoong, he said they had known each other since three years ago. They had just actually gotten close in less than these half year. I’d like to remind you that the picture above is not photoshopped at all. The picture above was taken by the two of them. I have so many words to say and so many pictures to show you... But that's it for today. Let's revive YunJae-Making together!]

_“No one would easily leave YunJae-Making after such a tantalizing post. Kyahahah....”_

_“Come to think of it, I think we should change it from YunJae-Making to YunJae Protection.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahjoong really shouldn't snoop around her brother's phone. But you know. Annoying siblings.


	39. YJ Project - Chapter 39.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You went to meet Yunho, didn’t you? Why? Did he suddenly became more handsome?”

Today was Yunho's long-awaited last day of schedule in Japan. Around the time of Yunho's arrival, Jaejoong had arrived at Incheon International Airport and was sitting in a corner, watching the news, and waiting for a call, when the excessive sounds of screaming came from a gate over there. In a fit of surprise, he along with the people around him, looked back towards the source of the commotion, and he could see a crowd of people blocking the exit. _“Why didn't I see those crowds earlier...?”_ He tilted his head at the thought and then something came to his mind.

_“The identity of that flock of women... I'm sure it's a fan club, whose fan club.... It's Yunho!”_ Jaejoong jumped up from his seat and jumped into the crowd and bounced off. Over the shoulders of people, he could see Yunho wearing sunglasses and walking out under the protection of his bodyguards. “Yunho- _yah_!” The call was buried under the screams, and soon Yunho disappeared with his bodyguards. And then he saw the crowd of people following him.

Standing still, Jaejoong suddenly noticed that the airport had become quiet. After a few times getting thrown out of the crowd, he just stood still because he didn't even want to imagine getting caught in the crowd again. And at the thought of “I'm seeing a great person, huh....” he blanked out from his mind. The number of days they felt comfortable around each other has increased so much that he couldn’t remember who they were before. But it was understandable that he re-realized about Yunho’s popularity since it has been a long time since he last went out.

Jaejoong was standing like that, scratching his nape and looking at the cell phone he had in his other hand. He sighed. This wasn't how he thought it would go after coming here by taking the subway. When Yunho comes out of the gate, he would run and hug him. After kissing without people looking at them, they would cozily ride in the car and go on a date. The mean popular bastard said he would call as soon as he got there, but he just let the crowd gather around him and disappeared like that. _“Well...I'm_ _actually_ _proud to think_ _that_ _my man is th_ _at_ _great.”_

As he thought about where Yunho went, he dragged his feet to go outside, but then the cell phone in his left hand rang briefly. When he slid it up and checked the screen, there was a text message with a welcomed name. Jaejoong smiled brightly and checked the message.

[Take the elevator and go to the parking lot.]

_“_ _Of course you won_ _’_ _t just leave me here~_ _”_ Jaejoong skipped happily to the parking lot, and found the zone number that Yunho told him. As he expected, there was a familiar car parked there.

“Yunho- _yah_!!”

Jaejoong called his name loudly, opened the passenger's door and jumped into the car, then hugged Yunho's neck tightly. Yunho asked, “What’s with you?” in a surprised manner, and patted Jaejoong’s back.

“I thought you were just gonna go with the bodyguards because of those fans, so I was gonna go home by myself. I was like, “Well, there's nothing I can do” and all.”

“You think I’m crazy that I’d leave you behind?”

“Eh is that it? Might be... Yeah maybe. Heheh.”

“First, take your arms off me and let’s talk. I already know you’re happy to see me.”

“Hng? Ah... Okay.”

He probably thought that Jaejoong looked so cute to not want to loosen his arms from his neck. Yunho pulled cupped Jaejoong’s cheeks and pecked his lips. At that one peck, Jaejoong relaxed his face and puffed out his cheeks and then Yunho started the car. It felt like a huge gap that they've been away from each other for about two weeks, and with Yunho’s presence next to him, Jaejoong was extremely happy now. Jaejoong was staring blankly at the infamous scene of Yunho reversing the car with one hand on the steering wheel to pull the car out of the parking lot. He had to shut his mouth when Yunho scolded him.

“Your spit’s gonna drip out.”

“Fff― damn you.”

“Heheh....”

“Tch. Anyway, what happened? Didn’t you ride in another car to chase the kids away earlier?”

“I barely escaped them and came back to the parking lot. I told Jungsoo- _hyung_ to go home.”

“Ah~”

After glancing at Jaejoong who was nodding his head, Yunho snickered and drove out of the airport and went through the highway. As soon as they came out to the clear path, Jaejoong opened the window to get some fresh air. It was early summer, so the cool breeze in the warm sunshine was coming into the car. It was cute to see him poking his head out of the window to have fun feeling the strong wind. Jaejoong was oblivious to the fact that his hair was falling behind his ears and his bangs fell behind his forehead, as he enjoyed the cool breeze. Yunho let him be for a while because his hair was so smooth that it looked like he was filming a commercial. But after a minute or five, Jaejoong didn't put his head back into the car, and Yunho started to worry, so pulled him back in.

“It’s dangerous.”

“What is?”

“A car could pass by. Don’t stick out your head. Are you a kid?”

“Huft.... Okay.... What about my hand?”

“No.”

“Urgh.”

Thinking that Jaejoong might have fallen into the world of childhood, Yunho tousled Jaejoong’s hair. He used to really hate getting his hair ruffled, but now if his head was stroked or his hair ruffled lightly, he would quietly close his eyes and make a comfortable expression. His face was so pretty that it had became a habit for Yunho to touch Jaejoong's hair. Yunho took his right hand off Jaejoong's head and put it back on the handle, then he coughed and cleared his throat.

After that, he scratched his cheek and called Jaejoong's name.

“Jaejoong- _ah_.”

“Yeah?”

“Wanna live together?”

“.......Huh?”

“I've been thinking about this for a long time. I don't know what's gonna happen when I get busy, but I'm not gonna be active for a while, so I can stay with you.”

_“_ _What is this man saying all of a sudden?_ _”_ Jaejoong blankly stiffened at Yunho’s sudden remarks. _“_ _You were talking to_ _me?”_ He thought as he uselessly looked around for the non-existent people. Finding the flustered Jaejoong cute, Yunho burst into a laughter. As Jaejoong kept glancing around, Yunho snickered and said, “I’m just joking, you brat.” When Jaejoong relaxed and also dejected, letting out giggles and laughs, Yunho calmly formed a smile.

Before they knew it, they entered the downtown and stopped in the restaurant parking lot for dinner. Yunho quickly pulled Jaejoong back when he was about to get out of the car, then he got off first and opened the passenger seat. Staring blankly up at Yunho who opened the car door and reached out a hand, Jaejoong put his hand on top of the urging hand and got out of the car.

“What are you pulling right now?”

“Escorting the princess.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go up.”

Holding hands tightly together, Yunho and Jaejoong went into the restaurant. When Jaejoong felt embarrassed and tried to take his hand off, Yunho shushed him and intertwined their fingers with a stronger force. There was no one but the employee who guided them who was looking at them. Jaejoong smiled awkwardly and went straight to the table they’re guided to and sat down. Now that he thought of it, it was the restaurant they went to before. That time, when they just got close, which means, before they became lovers. It feels different to recall the memories of that time.

Anyway, this guy was totally giving him the woman treatment, like opening the door and pulling out the chair for him. Thinking why the other suddenly behaved like that, Jaejoong slightly turned his head and asked,

“But you know, since earlier, why did you change to be a gentleman? Did you meet a girl in Japan?”

“Heh, what girl... I just wanted to.”

“Actually I can’t get used to it.”

“Just hold it for a bit.”

“Huh?”

_“Hold it for a bit?”_ He was going to ask again, but the staff arrived to give them the menu, and the conversation got cut off. A while after they ordered, the salad and steak arrived. Jaejoong had been trying to talk again, but he kept silent because of the unknown awkwardness. When he picked up the knife to cut the steak, the steak plate suddenly flicked away. “Huh?” He lifted his head Yunho was cutting the steak into small pieces without saying anything. Looks like he really tries to be a gentleman until the end.

Seeing him doing things to this point, Jaejoong thought that he was going to bring up something, but he kept staying silent. Actually, his gentleman face looked so stiff that it’d be embarrassing to make jokes about it. Jaejoong wanted Yunho to tell him about what happened in Japan, but he was so quiet, so Jaejoong was a little disappointed. Usually, except for the short words he spoke to answer Jaejoong’s questions, or the cringey remarks he liked to make, Yunho doesn’t really open his mouth, so Jaejoong kinda understands him.

While chewing on the returning steak one by one, he could feel the obvious stare from his front. When Jaejoong looked up, Yunho was staring at him with a small smile. _“This feels awkward…._ ” It's the most embarrassing thing to him when someone was looking at him while he was eating, but Yunho has that habit of staring at him when he was eating. Jaejoong laughed awkwardly at Yunho and bent his head again to finish his meal.

Yunho ordered coffee and Jaejoong ordered ice cream for dessert. As he was eating the cold ice cream with a small spoon, Yunho’s lips, which seemed like it wouldn’t open until the end, opened and a low-toned voice could be heard.

“Jaejoong- _ah_.”

“.…Hm?”

He really couldn’t get used to Yunho calling him “Jaejoong- _ah_ ”, which what he had been doing since earlier. Usually, he would say those cheesy things, but he doesn't really call Jaejoong by his name. But today, he kept calling him that way. Jaejoong put the spoon down for a moment and looked at Yunho. Yunho then stood from his seat. Jaejoong was wondering where Yunho was going, so he followed him with his gaze, and Yunho walked towards behind Jaejoong. He was gonna keep following the other with his gaze, but then Yunho, who already stood behind him grabbed his head, so he could only face forward. He stiffened in his seat, staying still as Yunho told him to. Yunho's hands crept onto Jaejoong's throat and slowly slipped back as if to wring his neck. He was wondering what was going on, so he looked down, and then there was a necklace hanging on is neck.

Surprised, he lifted his head up and the view darkened for a moment. Then, he felt something warm on his forehead for a moment. He got even more surprised and opened his eyes wide, and Yunho was going back to his seat. He straightened his head which was tilting upwards, looked at Yunho who was sitting in front of him, and then he looked down at the necklace around his neck. Looking closely, there was a ring on the necklace.

“I was really joking in the car earlier.”

“.…….”

“And this one is sincere…. Let’s live together, Kim Jaejoong.”

“Ah….”

“Even though we're still young, I’m confident that I'll only look at you for the rest of my life and keep you happy until the end. Let's live together.”

He was a bit teary before, but now his tears suddenly fell down. The tip of his nose is unbearably hot, and as he swallowed his saliva, his tears fell. _“Ah really. Why am I like this? I feel like a girl. A tender lover who cries because she is moved by a proposal.”_

* * *

After waving to Yunho who took him home, Jaejoong calmed his trembling heart and breathed out a deep breath, opened the front door and went inside. As soon as he came inside, Ahjoong, whose smile has become her default expression these days, greets Jaejoong. He had no thought of telling Ahjoong right away, but seeing her face like this made him want to talk about it right away. Now that he had come to the point where he could tell her everything about Yunho, Ahjoong was the first person whom he would talk to, and the only person whom he could speak to.

Jaejoong tried to hold back his pleasant smile and grabbed her and entered his room. “Huuuh? What are you up to?” At Ahjoong’s question, he let out a deep breath and started talking.

_“Nuna_.”

“You went to meet Yunho, didn’t you? Why? Did he suddenly became more handsome?”

“Yeah! That’s obvio―…. Ah, that’s not it! He was originally handsome, anyway.”

“.….I’m going crazy… Pfft hahahaha!”

“Argh, don’t laugh! I have something to tell you.”

She tried hard to hold back her laughter when her brother asked her to. As she barely grins and swallows her laughter, Jaejoong's expression seemed to have become serious. So Ahjoong followed him, changing her face into a quite serious one. Then, Jaejoong pulled Ahjoong to sit on the bed. As she sat on the bed, watching what Jaejoong was going to say, her laughter was about to burst again. _“Damn, what do I do?”_

“So I met Yunho earlier…”

“I know that too.”

“You see this necklace?”

“Necklace?”

When Jaejoong picked up the necklace on his neck with his hand, Ahjoong looked at it carefully and answered immediately.

“What? That’s a ring! What is this what is this? A couple ring?”

“That’s what it looks like. Yunho said putting on a ring was a bit… yeah, so he made it into a necklace. Ah, but this isn’t the important thing.”

“There’s something more important than the couple ring? What is it what is it?”

“Um…. Ah, I’m kinda shy..”

“Pffft, why?”

“Uh… You know… That… Yunho…”

“This brat is taking so long. Say it quick!”

“He asked me to live with him.”

“Ah, I’m asking you what―…… WHAT?!?!?!”

Ahjoong sprang to her feet. _“Waah? Those words I just heard…… Did I hear it wrong? Right, Jaejoong-_ ah _?”_ Ahjoong opened her eyes as wide as when Jaejoong was surprised, and then touched her forehead with her palm.

“Jaejoong- _ah.”_

“Hm?”

“Really..?”

“Yeah. Really.”

“So…. He gave you a ring, and ask you to cohabitate?”

He nodded. At the nod of his head, Ahjoong couldn’t control her pounding heart. She patted her chest to stop herself from running to call the YunJae Family, then she asked again.

“F-from when? When does he want to start living together?”

“He didn’t say anything about that…. He just asked me to live with him…”

“Then, you… What was your answer?”

“Me…? Well, you know. I just nodded. Right after he put the necklace on me, he kissed my forehead.”

“Uwoooh…. Hey, Kim Jaejoong… Kim Jaejoong… That’s it. You don’t need anything else. Get your mom and dad's permission right now and pack up your things and go tomorrow right away.”

“Huh??”

He was wondering what she was talking about, but suddenly Ahjoong ran out of the room. “ _Nuna_!” It’s no use calling her now. Ahjoong went straight to the main room and knocked. Soon, their parents came out to the living room, and Jaejoong was dragged out by Ahjoong to face their family. Their parents yawned and asked them what was going on. Before Jaejoong could even say anything, Ahjoong quickly opened his mouth.

“Dad, Mom. Jaejoong wants to live independently.”

“.….What?”

“Ah, no that’s not it….”

“You stay still for a bit, Kim Jaejoong. Ah, so Mom, you know this kid is already 21~ And he has a friend who lives alone in a huge house, and that friend asked him to live together. To be honest, our house is in the outskirts of Seoul. His school is far away and the transportation is very inconvenient. That friend lives in Gangnam. He’s got loads of money.”

What is happening right now? What had happened in a lightning speed? Their parents stopped yawning and listened to Ahjoong. They seemed to be particularly attracted to the saying that the house is in Gangnam. Not long after Ahjoong finished talking, their mom already looked half swayed by the words, meanwhile only their dad looked a little displeased.

“What’s the friend’s name?”

“His friend? That friend is―”

“Ahjoongie, you stay still. Jaejoong- _ah_ , you talk now.”

“Ah… That friend? His name is…. Jung Yunho.”

“Yunho you say…. I think I’ve heard of him. You’re close enough to live together?”

“Ah, yes. We’re really really close.”

“He went to the same school?”

“No. Yunho is…. Um… We did go to the same school―”

“Ah, Dad. I know that Yunho kid well. They went to the same school, but the guy was doing business. It’s related to music… His annual income is like billions. And that guy liked this kid so much….”

Ahjoong interrupted and answered the difficult question easily in Jaejoong’s stead. In fact, they were not lies at all. Singers are a kind of music businessmen. It was true that he makes a lot of money. And out of anything else, she was sure he really likes Jaejoong.

“Ahjoongie… You like it so much that Jaejoongie is leaving the house, huh?”

“Eh~ I’m tired of fighting with him everyday, Mom~”

“It’s really sudden, but you have my approval. I think Jaejoongie will be much more comfortable.”

“Honey.”

“Why? He’s not even a daughter, he’s a son, so what? The house will be a bit quieter, but it’s not like he’s going really far away. We can see him frequently.”

Honestly, Jaejoong expected his mother to oppose rather than his father, so he tilted his head slightly. He was kinda sad that they agreed so easily.... Nah, as if… Jaejoong often got teased by his mom and Ahjoong. However, his father who always goes to the bathhouse with him seems to be reluctant. But, once Ahjoong and his Mom are on his side….

“Okay. You’re all grown up and you’re a reliable son. Dad won’t oppose either.”

“Wow!! Dad! I love you!!”

“No but why are you the one excited?”

Maybe because their dad was embarrassed when Ahjoong suddenly started shouting and hugged him, he tried hard detaching himself and laughed dumbfoundedly. “Do you hate Jaejoongie that much, you brat?” his dad scolded her, and Ahjoong giggled and winked at Jaejoong. Jaejoong, smiled dejectedly at the permission that had fallen too easily, despite it being a sudden request. To be honest, he was a bit, no…. He was really happy.


	40. YJ Project - Chapter 40.....success!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Who is this....? Who are you and why are you kissing my sister kissing like that?”

His cheeks felt itchy, so Jaejoong frowned and opened his eyes slightly. He could see the handsome lips grinning from his slightly open eyes. He wriggled, moving his hand to get near his itchy cheek, and he could feel the back of Yunho’s warm hand. He was tickling his cheeks with that hand. Jaejoong whined and took Yunho’s hand that was on his cheeks and snuggled it into his arms. Yunho also held Jaejoong in his arms with a small laugh.

It has been a year and a half since Jaejoong came to Yunho's house and lived together with him. It's been almost two years since he started loving Yunho. _”Time flies really fast, huh,_ ” Jaejoong thought as he raised the corners of his lips. After a long time patting Jaejoong’s back, Yunho opened his mouth with his chin on the top of Jaejoong's head.

“You always wake up early in the morning and cook, but today is a sleep-in day, huh?”

“.…..What time is it?”

“Dunno. A little bit past 10?”

“Hiiek! Why didn’t you wake me up?!!”

“How can a husband wake his tired wife up after tormenting him all night?”

“Huh. So you do know?”

Jaejoong, surprised to hear the time and got off from the bed, giggled at the reason why Yunho didn’t wake him up, while also acting like he dislike it. He's not wearing anything, so he rubbed the goosebumps on his forearm, opened the drawer and took his underwear out. Then he picked up the shorts that was scattered on the floor and wore it. He picked up the two briefs that were splayed on the corner of the room with his thumb and forefinger, and then he came out to the living room and put the underwears in the laundry basket. Holding his stiff and numb waist with his right hand, Jaejoong headed to the bathroom to take a shower. After he came out of the bathroom, he started singing a weird “I have to feed U-Know” song and entered the kitchen.

“Huh?” 

As soon as he entered the kitchen, Jaejoong found Yunho wandering around in front of the refrigerator. Like Jaejoong, Yunho was topless, as he opened the refrigerator and looked inside to find something to eat. He walked stealthily and hugged Yunho's back... At times like this Yunho is supposed to be surprised, but of course, he’s not. Yunho turned quietly and looked down at Jaejoong with no hint of surprise. Jaejoong pouted his lips and frowned. He walked around the sink pretending to be upset, but then he felt a body temperature hugging him from behind.

“Let go. I have to make food.”

“There’s food.”

“But there’s no side dishes. I'll season the bean sprouts. Go away.”

“You hugged me first, but I can’t hug you?”

“Yeah. You can’t. Ah, get your arms off quick!”

Buried in a big body, he walked to the kimchi fridge, and took out bean sprouts and washed them on the sink. He felt annoyed and kept hitting Yunho's chest with his elbow. Still, Yunho sticks to him until the end and follows him here and there, never falling apart. Jaejoong had been on Yunho's back or hanging on his torso, but it's the first time that a bear-like creature has not fallen off his small back, so his feet got tangled as it was hard to move. He got frustrated and threw a fuss. Also it was a skin to skin contact so the atmosphere is weird. He thought it was getting warm around his neck, but then he felt something soft.

“Urgh, go prepare the rice, will you!?”

“....I don’t really wanna eat rice, tho.”

“But you have to― Hey!!!”

Yunho who hugged Jaejoong strode into the living room in a flash and put him down on the sofa. Then he climbed on top of Jaejoong. He put his hands on Jaejoong’s chest and pushed him back when the other scowled and tried to get up, then he lowered his head and bit on Jaejoong’s earlobe. He wasn’t expecting that kind of surprise, so Jaejoong wasn’t in the right mind to push the other off, as he froze on the sofa. Besides, he was so exhausted last night that he didn't have the strength to push him off. _“_ _Do you like me that much? Even after eating me all night long?_ _”_ He just let out a breath and let the other do what he was doing. Jaejoong put the back of his hand on his forehead, as Yunho kissed all over Jaejoong’s face, and slowly those thick lips fell down onto his neck. _“I guess I'll give up eating breakfast_ _,_ _”_ he thought inwardly. By the time he slowly let out a faint moan, there was a sound that stopped Yunho from his action. The doorbell rang. However, he only halted for a moment before ignoring the door and started touching Jaejoong again. Jaejoong then slapped Yunho’s back with a loud slap.

“Ouch― that hurts.”

“Stop snarling, and get out quick. You perverted old man.”

“Can’t we just ignore it?”

“Who do you think that was that we should just ignore them? They walked until the front door. That’s probably Jungsoo- _hyung_.”

“Well that’s why.”

“That’s why my ass! Get up quick!”

“Argh, understood, Ma’am...”

Scratching the back of his head to show his irritation, Yunho walked slowly towards the front door and then the door opened. Then, there was a moment of silence... It felt kinda strange. _“_ _Is it not Jungsoo-_ hyung _?_ _”_ Feeling strange, Jaejoong rose from the sofa and soon noticed the reason for his silence by Yunho's slightly embarrassed voice.

“Ah... Good morning, _Eomeoni_. Please come in...”

“Okay. Are you doing well, Yunho? It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it seems. What is it that you came here in this morn―..... Ack!”

Yunho, who exchanged greetings, suddenly let out a surprised sound and ran into the room. It was only then that he realized that he was topless. Watching Yunho disappear in a flash, Jaejoong drew a cushion to cover his upper body. The culprit of the ringing doorbell, which he thought would definitely be Jungsoo, turned out to be Jaejoong's mom. His mom took off her shoes and entered the house, and Jaejoong waved his hand violently and smiled.

“What is it, Mom?”

“Why? I can’t visit? I brought you some side dishes.”

“Ah, really? The fridge was actually empty. Thank you, Mom!”

“I’ll put it on the table... By the way why haven’t you and Yunho worn clothes yet? What time do you think it is? I was really surprised.”

“Ahaha.... We just woke up. It's been a while since we've slept in so...”

A paper bag full of side dishes was placed on the kitchen table, and Jaejoong's mother soon walked to the sofa and talked to her son, whom she had been reunited with after a long time. At that moment, Yunho showed up, already properly dressed, and then officially greeted Jaejoong’s mother again. At the same time, the mom and son burst into a laughter, and Yunho, who was making an awkward smile, entered the kitchen and took a glass of juice, then handed it to Jaejoong's mother. Yunho quickly came to Jaejoong's side and sat down as if he was embarrassed by the words of thanks.

“Oh, Yunho- _yah_. Tomorrow's the year-end awards, right?”

“Ah, yes, _Eomoni_.”

“Yunho definitely will win a big award again. I'll stay right in front of the TV.”

“Ah, then I’ll go home and watch it with you, Mom!”

“That’s righ―... no, of course? Oh, look at my mind. Jaejoong- _ah_ , Mom won’t be home tomorrow. Actually, the reason I stopped by this morning was because I’m going to my parents' house.”

“At grandpa’s? Then what about dad?”

“Your dad went to a high school reunion in the countryside and said he'll be back the day after tomorrow. What are you gonna do? ....Well, then you can just come home tomorrow and watch it with your sister.”

“You think _Nuna_ will watch it through the TV? Of course she’s going. Aaah― don’t tell me to join her.”

His mom and Yunho laughed because Jaejoong stopped them from telling him to follow his sister, as if he had known they were gonna say that. As if he would go. How many times did he suffer and almost die in the place full of fans? Jaejoong had decided to never set foot in a place where the fans gathered anymore. It's a shame that he wouldn’t get to see Yunho's amazing performance in person, but they’ll stick together half of the day anyway, so why would such a thing take up such a big part? He guesses he had no choice but to watch the TV alone and wait for Yunho to come back. After making the decision, Jaejoong pouted.

After his mother left their home, Jaejoong suggested Yunho to go to his family’s home with him. His mom and dad were out, and Ahjoong was probably home alone, so he asked him to go play there after a long time. Yunho also wanted to visit his “sister-in-law” for the first time in a while, but since he was already living with Jaejoong, he didn't say a word and searched for his car key. Jaejoong, who was still not properly dressed, rushed to the room and dressed up in a flash. By the time they arrived, he was sure Ahjoong was already woken up and had breakfast and lunch, so he thought he’ll steal her food. As he climbed the stairs, Jaejoong paused for a moment. It was because he was somehow thrilled to see Yunho's car parked in the parking lot. What was it like the first time that car parked there? Of course he thought that he was gonna faint with his heart beating so fast. “What are you doing? Not coming in?” Jaejoong answered “Go first,” at Yunho’s question, and glanced at the car one last time before climbing the stairs.

Yunho and Jaejoong opened the front door and went into the kitchen, expecting to find Ahjoong eating her lunch... But what is this? She wasn’t eating rice, but something else... Yunho and Jaejoong stiffened on the spot. They could see the two, who were kissing each other with passion, falling apart at the sound of other people in the room.

“Oh.... Y-Yunho- _yah_. What are you doing here...?”

Next to Ahjoong who was rubbing her bright red lips with the back of her hand... a man in a military uniform stood in an awkward pose. _“Who is_ _this...._ _? Who are you and_ _why are you kissing_ _my sister kissing like that?”_

“Um... Uh, Jaejoong- _ah_!! You punk. It’s been a while!!”

He seemed a little embarrassed, but suddenly he strode up and hugged Jaejoong. It was Jungwoo. Jaejoong, who remained still in his arms, finally regained consciousness a little later and pushed Jungwoo away. And then he looked straight into Jungwoo's eyes, who was smiling awkwardly. While glaring at him, Jaejoong picked up a spoon on the table and quickly slapped Jungwoo's lips with it.

“Aaack! Hey, Kim Jaejoong!!”

Ignoring the cry of pain, and he hit him again―

“Ack! What the hell?!”

“The first one was for getting caught kissing my sister. The second one was for surprising us... Shit, what should I even ask first? When did you get here? You weren't discharged today, were you? And when did you get so close to my sister to kiss each other, asshole?”

“Ah, that....”

The story of Ahjoong and Jungwoo, who were so embarrassed, was roughly like this. A few months ago, in the letter sent by Jungwoo, the discharge date was misinformed and was delayed by a week. When he got back it’s not his hometown that he went straight to. Not even his friend’s but his friend’s sister, who had become his lover, Ahjoong’s house. He kept it a secret from Jaejoong, and grew his love through letters and phone calls from time to time. That time when he came out for nine nights and ten days, he spent a day in his hometown, and a day in Yunho and Jaejoong’s. When asked where he spent the rest week, as he had disappeared and then suddenly appeared, as expected, they went on a honeymoon together. As Jaejoong listened to the story, he realized that he had been doing the same thing all along. _“_ _Kim Ahjoong.... You threw him so hard before but now you_ _’_ _re falling too._ _”_ But most of all, it's been a long time since they've been hiding it from Jaejoong. _“_ _I_ _’_ _ve been helping you so much, Kang Jungwoo... But I had to feel this betrayal._ _”_ He thought he was getting angry again, so he swung the spoon again. But this time it’s a miss. Ahjoong grabbed it before the spoon reached Jungwoo's head. _“_ _Ah I_ _’_ _m really upset.... As soon as he was discharged, he didn_ _’_ _t go to his old time friend but ran to a woman instead._ _”_

“Now, since all four of us are here, shall we go play together?”

For the first time in a while, Yunho opened his mouth to clean up the atmosphere. But those gracious words of the heart was replied by brutal words.

“Oh... Uh... Yunho. I think it'll be hard today. I was gonna spend time with Jungwoo.”

“......Ah... Is that so?”

Now she’s even throwing the man who used to be her idol away. Yunho and Jaejoong both entered a sad mode for a while. Jaejoong lost his friend for 10 years, and Yunho lost his hardcore fan which he thought would be on his side forever. When they saw each other's grim faces, they laughed together and sighed.

In the end, those two lost, roasted, abandoned, and had to leave the house without getting any food.

* * *

The next day, Yunho had been out since the morning because of practice and rehearsals for the awards ceremony. Because Yunho didn’t wake him up again and had left, Jaejoong slept in and had to be woken up by the loud sound of his cell phone ringing. (It's been a long time since he threw away that power-vibration cell phone. When he changed it to a new one, his first requirement was the sound of vibration).

“Uhmm... Hello.....”

< “What the? You’re still sleeping? Wake up now!” >

“Who....”

< “This brat’s all upset about yesterday, and now you’re gonna pick on your sis all day? Who you ask?? This is Kim Ahjoong- _nim_.” >

“What.... Why?”

< “Why you ask?? I’ll be at your house in 30 minutes. Go wash up and get ready.” >

“What? Why?”

< “Anyway! If you’re still in you’re dreamland when we arrive later, you’re dead.” >

“We?”

The call was cut off as he blinked a few times to check the time of the call. Jaejoong, who was wide awake by the sudden bombardment, threw his blanket and headed for the bathroom. After washing his face, Jaejoong, who was reflecting on the phone call he had earlier, opened his eyes wide at the sudden memory. The “we” would mean either with Jungwoo or with those YunJae-Making admins. He was sure Jungwoo said he was going home today, so... _“_ _No way. Those women are trying to take me to Yunho's stage._ _”_

After a rushed bath, Jaejoong picked up his clothes and quickly popped out of the house. With the determination to run away somewhere before the gang arrived, Jaejoong stomped his feet the entire way down. It's been 25 minutes since she called him earlier, so... If he does well, he could leave here before they come. Finally, the somehow long elevator ride got to the first floor, and Jaejoong ran outside. As expected, they weren’t there yet. He shouted “Nice!” and was about to run to the bus stop, when he felt someone pulling on the hood of his coat from behind. Jaejoong, who slowly turned back, was in despair.

“Oho... Where were you gonna run to?”

“Hahaha.... Hello....”

“Kay. Let’s go, Jaejoong- _ah_ ~!”

“Aaaack..... _Nuna_ s.... I really don’t wanna go....”

Looks like they didn’t bother hearing Jaejoong’s pleas. Even the excuse of “I look like an ugly chicken” were not being heard. He only heard “You look pretty whatever you wear,” several times.

Finally, Jaejoong arrived at the awards ceremony venue. Even though they still have a few hours before starting, countless fans of many singers already camped out. Especially, the Pearl Red Balloon, the cheering tool of KNOW YOU, seems to be the most popular out of all. Just looking at the scene made him feel dizzy, so he hid himself behind the gang’s backs as much as possible and went into the building. As expected, having connections is a good thing... He didn't have to wait for the door to open, shivering outside in that cold weather. Entering the building, the YunJae-Fam and Jaejoong headed towards a waiting room full of singers preparing for rehearsals. There were familiar singers everywhere, but now Jaejoong didn't feel all that amazed anymore. Try having a lover like U-Know. You’d be amazed.

After walking for so long, they finally arrived in front of the waiting room with the name “U-Know” hanging on it. Then suddenly, he heard the others counting "One, two, three,” then the door opened and Jaejoong was pushed in. When he looked back in surprise, the door was already slammed shut. Looking back inside the waiting room, Yunho was sitting in a chair on the corner and slowly lifting his head towards Jaejoong. But this situation... Come to think of it, it was a very familiar scene. Jaejoong and Yunho stared at each other, then shrugged at the same time and burst into laughter.

On the other hand, Ahjoong, Young, Mian, and Malsook were smiling contentedly after doing the same thing they did on Yunho and Jaejoong’s first meeting. Well, Yunho didn’t get nervous at all, but let’s just say he was, and they were quite satisfied that they gave him the biggest gift, Jaejoong, to relax his mind and boost his strength. They wondered what the two were doing as they heard them laugh. But then they heard something strange from the corner next to them. Even though it was a busy waiting room hallway... She didn't feel good, so Ahjoong crept and poked her head toward the corner.

“Oh God!”

“......”

_“_ _What_ _’_ _s with her?_ _”_ The woman who was busy covering her face with a scarf or something made a startling sound when she saw Ahjoong. At the sound, the other three came round the corner to them, and the woman’s face turned white (even though it’s already pale enough because she had put her make-up on).

“What the hell, Lee Noan? What are you doing here?”

“I told you not to call me th―”

“Shut up. Mian- _ah_ , let me be rude to your sis for a moment.”

“She’s not my sister, tho?”

“Really? That’s good then... Look here, Ryuan- _ah_... Aren’t you tired? Are you showing up here to pick on the kids again? What’s with the scarf... Are you a primary school kid? I seriously feel like crying. It’s too pitiful. Oh, was that also you who told the women to go into the room at the club and put a camera there? Jungsoo- _oppa_ said so. He said you tried to attack Yunho before. You think Jungsoo- _oppa_ wouldn’t know? He only let you off because he’s too kind.... Think about it if someone like me was U-Know’s manager. You’d definitely live like a dog. Ah, really you shouldn’t live your life like that. What else are you gonna do this time?”

“This.... This.....”

“What this? Huh? What?”

“No! This time it’s not that! I don’t do those things anymore!”

“Really. Then what’s with the childish scarf and sunglasses?”

“I just.... I just want to hit Kim Jaejoong once! Why? I just want to put my foot on him! Why? I can’t do that either?”

“You’re really saying that...? You’ll lay a hand on Jaejoongie? Are you crazy? Ah what a cute brat... Also, you’re a young kid why do you keep talking informally at me? That’s so meh. Now you should stop with those things and walk your own path, Ryuan- _ah_... Aren’t you sick of it?”

Ryuan couldn’t respond properly to Ahjoong’s pouring lecture, so she threw her scarf on the floor and ran back to her waiting room.

“What a cute bitch. Hey, Mian- _ah_. Let’s just get her into YunJae-Making. Let’s turn her humane.”

“Even if you didn’t say that, I’d do it anyway. I’m gonna need some sacrifice, tho.”

They laughed at Ryuan’s fluttering back for a long time and headed to where the artists were rehearsing. Ahjoong only left a text message telling Jaejoong to find them on his own.

* * *

The real award ceremony had finally begun. Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult for Jaejoong to find the place because the place where Ahjoong's group settled in was an ideal spot. He barely got caught in the crowd and started to watch the stage. He wondered if U-Know's Grand Prize was almost definite. Compared to other singers, U-Know’s stage was much larger in scale and time. That wasn't the fun part. The most important thing was his special acceptance speech, which seemed pretty basic.

“Ah.... Thank you. I don't even know if I deserve this big award... Firstly, Jaejoongie. Then, the people who had brought me from the start until this time, Mr. Lee Sucheon and KNOW YOUs....”

They distinctly heard him saying “Jaejoongie” as the first name he mentioned, and then they were in a trance. Jaejoong couldn’t believe his name was the first one to be mentioned. Most of the audience didn't know that “Jaejoongie” was someone’s name, so they didn’t think of anything, but it was already expected that there will be a fuss in the YunJae-Making crowd. Yunho finished up by listing the names of the people who he seemed to have memorized.

“...and to everyone who had worked had pulling me from the back, from the front, and from the side... Thank you very much. Lastly.... I know you, I thank you, I love you so much!”

The two smiled as their gazes met each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes:  
> \- eomeoni: mother. could be used by son/daughter-in-law, or even close friends to their friend's mother.


	41. YJS Project - Chapter 0.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “.... No. Not that kind of sleep. The upgraded kind.”

It wasn't until a little more than two months after Jaejoong started living with Yunho that Ahjoong was able to break into their Sweet Home. All those time, whenever she asked him when he’d let her come over, Jaejoong kept getting angry and annoyed that she couldn't even think about it. But today, Yunho told her “Of course, you should come once. Oh, what about today?” At those words, Ahjoong proudly walked into the house with him. Ahjoong, who was curious about how two men lived together, opened her eyes wider and looked around from the front door. _“No, but... I'm telling you... How can a house where two men live_ _together_ _..._ _...._ _t_ _here was_ _n’t even_ _place to step_ _my_ _foot in._ _”_

“Yunho you’re―.... What the hell’s with that woman?!?!”

“Not what the hell, and not that woman. I’m your respectable older sister, you bastard.”

“No, but, _Nuna_ , why are you coming in with Yunho?”

“We met today. Yunho asked me to come over so here I am.”

“Aaaargh so annoying!”

“That's kinda upsetting. I know it's your sweet home, but can't anyone else even step in? There wasn’t even space to step in. I see you brought the habit of not cleaning at home all the way here.”

Ahjoong continued to complain to the irritated Jaejoong and came into the living room. _“_ _Wow... It's a great house if you clean it up._ _”_ The house where a family of four lived... No, it’s now three. The living room of the house was about the size of this living room. By the way, it was also a special ability to make this much mess in this big house. He looked like he’d be good at housework, but all he could do is cook... Ahjoong shook her head thinking that Jaejoong got a good husband but Yunho chose the wrong wife.

Yunho, who sweats a lot in the late summer, went into the bathroom saying he would wash up and come out, and Ahjoong kicked the things on the floor with her feet and started looking around the house (the siblings was no different when it comes to their hate for cleaning). When she looked at Jaejoong who was making a timid excuse for the situation, saying, "A lady who helps with the housework will come later," Ahjoong smiled. Well, it's okay if they don't clean the house. As long as they’re happy, that’s enough.

Ignoring Jaejoong who kept following her and making sweet talk, Ahjoong finally arrived at YunJae’s bedroom. Trying to turn the doo knob with a pounding heart, she thought it was strange. _“Why won't_ _he_ _stop_ _me_ _from behind? If you don't like_ _me_ _com_ _ing to your home_ _,_ _wouldn_ _’_ _t it make sense for you_ _to be more reluctant_ _to let_ _me_ _look around the bedroom,_ _so_ _why?”_ She tilted her head and opened the door carefully, and then opened her mouth wide. This place was so neat that it felt like a completely different house. Well, there was nothing but a bed, so it'd be weird if it's not clean. The important thing is that the blanket is clean and the bed was made well. She couldn't tell anyone that she was expecting a messy crumpled bed! Ahjoong scratched her chin awkwardly and finished watching the boring bedroom.

After watching the spacious house, Ahjoong sat on the sofa with Jaejoong. “Aren't you bring anything for me to drink?” She was totally ignored as Jaejoong just sat there waiting for Yunho to come out with his legs and arms crossed. Then for a second, she thought of the clean bedroom that she saw earlier, so Ahjoong asked Jaejoong.

“Did you two sleep well?”

“Sleep? Of course~ Yunho always lend his arm as a pillow for me!”

“.... No. Not that kind of sleep. The upgraded kind.”

“Upgrade?”

“......Don’t tell me...”

“What?”

“Still?”

“Still what?”

_“......They still haven’t done anything yet...? Or was it because Jaejoong was embarrassed about it....? Please, I hope it’s the latter.”_

* * *

“No, but how is this possible?! They’ve been dating for months! Have lived together for months!”

“I guess God made them too innocent.”

“That was a huge mistake.”

“I know right!”

The YunJae-Making admins gathered together again. These days, they have been uploading a lot of pictures (The high-leveled pictures were dangerous if they got leaked so they just uploaded the ones where they were together...). Thanks to the highly active YunJae-Making, they were spending extremely busy days. Now that only four of them are gathered in time, they occasional chimed in while listening to the agitated Ahjoong's fervor.

“Jaejoong originally never really had a girlfriend, and his first kiss was Yunho so I didn’t expect much for him. Let’s leave it like that. But... What’s with Jung Yunho?! He slept so many times with a kid that pretty, so how could he not think of attacking him? Not even once? What is he? A saint??”

“Wow wow you should calm down first. You’re too worked up.”

“No, I’m not worked up. I actually held it in.”

“Ahjoong- _ah_. Should I tell you a shocking fact?”

“What is it?”

“I heard this from Jungsoo- _oppa_...”

When Jungsoo was mentioned, the other three's ears all tilted towards Mian’s mouth. What Mian heard from Jungsoo would be 100% true. After a short pause, the words that came out of Mian’s mouth... It was enough, really enough, to push them into the state of shock.

“Yunho is also inexperienced.”

“......”

“Jungsoo- _oppa_ basically raised him since he was in his first year of high school. He never really liked girls.”

“That’s kinda glad to hear... but then how do we get YunJae to progress?”

“The two of the were too innocent. So we have to work...”

There was a long silence. The sound of their thoughts rolling around seemed to be heard all the way outside their head. Just how hard did they think that they were lost in thoughts? They raised their heads and voices together as if they had planned it.

“Who are we?”

“YunJae-Making!”

“.......What should we name it?”

“Dunno, YunJae-First-Night-Making?

“That’s tacky.”

“Um... Jaeho-Making?”

“What’s Jaeho? Don’t tell me it’s YunJae reversed?”

“Are you crazy, _Eonni_? You don’t know Jaeho?”

“Ah I know~ These brats, really, I was just joking. It was a joke.”

“Ah... what should we name it....?”

“How about YunJae Progresser?”

“Ouh, that’s too lame.”

“Then.... Should we just do it as YunJae-Making?”

“What? That’s okay I guess.”

“Then the english name would be YJS Project?”

“YJS? What’s the S?”

“.......You knew but you still asked, you ass.”

"So now... YJS Project chapter 01?"

****[FIN]** **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm done uploading and I'm happy for myself hahah! Thank you for reading! Hope you had fun reading because I do lol. I'd like to thank Merim for making this cute piece. I enjoyed reading and translating it a lot^^
> 
> \---useless comments---
> 
> Uh, yeah so romcom is my favorite genre. That's why I decided to translate this, so I'd have easier time re-reading. I uploaded here so I could re-read it easily from any device and also so I won't lose it if something happened to my laptop. I loved the fluff and the weird antics of the characters, and even though the plot was kinda cliche, I had a lot of fun reading it. The heteronormative tidbits does kinda bother me though (it was 2006-2007 so I kinda understand?) but overall I loved the fic. There were a lot of good Korean fanfics and though I haven't read all the recommended ones, this was one of my favorite. OOT but my all time favorite so far would be Catan by fiancee__ and it was much darker and harder to translate than this one so I might or might not give up on that one lol.


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